Lost in Labyrinth (Sakigami Toto's Love Story)
by DreamyLoner
Summary: "Yosuga has always been Toto's nee-chan, right?" Mitsuzaki Yosuga's life was filled with bleakness when she first got into DW. One day, a mysterious boy named Toto saved her from two bullies. Soon, her life experienced dramatic changes and their souls became intertwined at once. He would grant her a reason to live and she would only die by his hands. Toto x Yosuga!
1. Nee-chan

Yosuga collapses into a pool of blood.

_Her blood. _

_His blood._

Her world is crumbling down. Her head is spinning around. There is nothing but blackness. Things are shattering. Her heart is breaking. Blood wouldn't stop pouring out of her wound.

And yet, she is glad.

At least, she has lived to be killed by the one she loves. Her last moment of life is spent on defending Toto. _Yes, her Toto._ Despite realizing he is not himself anymore, she still loves him. When everyone else sees him as their enemy, she's chosen to stand by his side.

She's dead, _by his hands_.

The only remorse left is she hasn't been able to kill him back. But somehow, she believes they will meet again.

_Somewhere. In some place._

_Hell or heaven. _

_Their souls will be reconciled._

* * *

She met him when her life was completely engulfed in darkness. Her heart was empty and she had no visions of future. There was only _death_.

_Death was her only company…her relief. _

She had hazy memory of how she ended up in this living hell. She used to be a foster child and then….all at once, her future, her hope was wiped out in the Great Tokyo Earthquake. She was framed, condemned and sent to a mad world. At first, she did pray for miracles to happen. She had faith in salvation. She struggled and fought back. In the end, though, her effort was in vain. There was no one to spare her feelings, no one to show her mercy. There was only death awaiting her.

If she had been an ordinary criminal, things would have been much easier for her. She would be put on death trial. She could attempt suicide by not gaining any candies. Yet, she was a _deadman_, someone with a branch of sin. She was forced to battle with others. _Forced to live on as a monster_…_a ferocious creature._

One day, she lingered in the corridor of an unfamiliar building. Whatever this construction is called, she had no interest in finding out. Wearing her hair in two ponytails, with a black-and-white striped band around her head, her enormous grey eyes sparkled in the dark. She walked on aimlessly. Life was meaningless for her at that moment. _She was destined to perish_, so she thought.

Two stout men passed by and stopped abruptly. One of them clutched her hair, causing her to yell in pain and smack his hand. Set off, her attacker shoved her violently against the wall. Her head struck the hard concrete, letting out a creaking noise.

"So this is the new girl they're talking about." The muscular man in black tittered. "She's so frail looking"

"Still saying you're framed huh?" The other man said. "Why don't you play with us before you die in the Carnival Corpse?"

She did not answer. She glared at the two bullies, her eyes filled with hatred. It didn't matter to her anyway, whether they tortured or killed her. Death would be a nice remedy to end her living torment.

She watched as the two men suddenly truned around and staggered backwards. She looked over to the direction they were glancing at. A young boy, not particularly well-built, strolled by. He had this unique messy green hair that curved upwards like feathers. His penetrating golden eyes were shimmering when he took a glimpse of them. He was dressed in a sleeveless white coat and a pair of knee-length pants. His face was gorgeous but intimidating. His stare was threatening and terrifying. She gulped but remained motionless.

"Mocking bird." The black-shirted guy muttered, his eyes fixed on the boy. It was the first time Yosuga heard of his name.

_Mocking bird._

"It's fine. He's not interested at all." His company said. "You see, he's leaving."

The boy did not say a thing and carried on. Again, she lost her hope. For a slight, short moment, she thought, or more precisely, she wished, that boy might stop by and rescue her. Well, he didn't. She shouldn't have expected him to anyway. After all, this is Deadman Wonderland they were talking about. Here, everybody lives for themselves. The person you save today might be your rival tomorrow.

"If I entered G-Block, I would die…." She rambled. "That's what the creepy man with glasses told me. And it would be fine for me…probably?"

The two men exchanged a grimace with each other, bewildered by her non-sense.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Yosuga wants to die…" She confessed. "Or rather she just doesn't have a_ reason_ to live…"

"What the hell?" The men snickered. "This chick is fucking crazy. Are we still going to fuck her?"

"Damn, she's pissing me off. How about we slice open her neck and stick our dick in there?" One man suggested, scoffing.

"You're fucking sick."

The man cautiously cut his hand with a knife, letting out his branch of sin. They were about to attack her when something unexpected happened. In a split second, a forceful blast blew up the two men, chopping off their limbs and slicing their torso. Blood spattered everywhere as their heads dropped onto the ground with a deafening crunching sound. Yosugo widened her eyes, allowing the crimson liquid to splash against her pallid face, emitting a sickening, choking odor.

"What the…"Her legs trembled and she fell onto the ground. She tried her best to remain calm but her heart was pounding fast. Fear enveloped her. _What on earth was going on?_ Behind the corpses stood the boy in the rain of blood, with an adorable smile spreading across his attractive face. He knelt down and grinned at her.

"Nee-chan~"

"E-Eh?" She looked at him as if he was insane. Well, he was. He just slaughtered two men with his bare hands and he was still smiling with their blood dripping down his chin.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to G-Block." He poked her cheek and offered. She twitched a little, apparently not knowing what to do.

"Nee-chan?" He urged, his eyes glittering.

_Did he just call her 'sister' twice?_

Reluctantly, she took his hand. He was unpredictably strong, considering how slim he was. With one move, he pulled her up. She almost stumbled over the corpse and landed on his chest. He winked at her and started walking. She peeked at the bag he was holding. It was full of prizes... He must have just returned from the Carnival Corpse and wow…he actually won... Immediately, she felt queer. _Why was he saving her? He was indisputably a strong deadman. Would he kill her?_

"So, what's your name?" He asked plainly.

"Yosuga…Mitsuzaki Yosuga…"

"Oh, I'm Toto!" He grinned, clapping his hands. "Sakigami Toto ~ But you can call me Toto, hehee."

_Why was he so happy?_

He led her back to G-Block, dropping her at her room.

"Meh, we live so close to each other and I've never seen you before. Are you new?"

"Er…yes."

"Did I startle you back there? You're so quiet."

"W-Well…maybe." There was simply too much for her to ponder about.

"Oh, nice to meet you, onee-chan." He let go of her hand and waved, ready to leave.

_Onee-chan? Big sister?_

No, she didn't mishear it.

He just called her sister! _What the heck?!_

"See you tomorrow!" With one graceful U-turn, he danced off.

* * *

As promised, Toto came to find her the next day. He was hopping up and down when he saw her. She was stunned by his exceptionally enthusiastic behavior. He stood at her door, his hands swinging forth and back as if he was so free there was nothing better to do.

"Hi there, nee-chan." He greeted. Without another word, he passed through her and stepped right into her room. She nearly dropped her jaws. Someone she was barely acquainted with just intruded her room without her permission.

"Your room is so neat and tidy, nee-chan." Toto giggled. "You should see mine. Perhaps you can do something about it."

"Um…Toto?" She narrowed her eyes as the boy threw himself onto her bed, messing around with her duvet.

"Yes?" He crawled over to the edge of the bed, his legs dangling down leisurely.

"What're you doing here?" She blurted out. She knew it sounded mean but she needed some reasonable explanation here. She was certain the first time she saw him, he did not care about her at all. Then, after she said she would die in G-Block, he murdered two deadmen in a trice. What surprised her more was his unanticipated eagerness and impulsive kindness. She did not like it. _No, not at all._ She felt awkward and unsafe.

"A brother always visits his sister, right?" He chuckled. She could not tell whether he was joking or being serious.

"Why are you calling me sister?"

"What? You don't like it?"

"N-No, I don't mean that…but I want to know why." Yosuga said, trying not to piss him off. "And why did you save me yesterday?"

"No reason." The boy smirked and lay flat on her bed. "Ah, your bed is so cozy, onee-chan."

"How old are you, Toto?"

"Eighteen."

"Then, it doesn't sound right." Yosuga crossed her arms. "I'm only seventeen. You shouldn't call me _onee-chan_."

Toto sat up at once and stared at her grimly. She stepped back, shocked by his somber glance. _Did she infuriate him? Was he…going to kill her?_

And then…he broke into laughter.

"You're so funny, Yosuga." He said. _He called her Yosuga!_ "It doesn't matter I'm older than you. I'll just call you whatever I want to call you, okay?"

"M-Maybe…" She sighed.

"Come sit here."

She complied with his request, still taking much caution of this _'stranger'_ brother.

"So, what's your branch of sin?"

"I-I…don't know." She shook her head. She was not informed about anything when she got into G-Block. She just knew she was different from normal people. She possessed what they called a 'branch of sin'. She was told she would have to participate in some deadly rival games but she had not fought yet.

"Really?" Toto opened his mouth, astonished.

"Yea." Yosuga ignored his expression. "Even if I know its name, what's the point? Yosuga's doomed anyway. She won't be able to win, I know."

"Why would you say that?"

"No reason." She took a deep breath. "Yosuga's lived all her life with nothing, there's practically nothing she can fight for...maybe… Even if she can fight, she's just winning the air. Everyone will have to die one day and to Yosuga, it's the sooner the better."

She took a peep at the boy next to her. He paused for a while, his smile fading. Then, out of sudden, he leaned over and put his left arm around her shoulder.

"W-What're you…"

"If nee-chan thinks she can't fight, I'll fight for her." He muttered happily.

They were so close that she could feel his breath. She had never been this intimate with anyone before, not a boy especially. She looked at him, his eyes flashing with delight. There was something in this boy she could never own. Somehow, his eyes revealed a mixture of distress and hope. It was confusing and yet alluring. The charming smile on his glamorous face…he didn't seem to be faking it. He was really smiling for her. _Why?_ She asked herself. _Why would someone even bother to do that to her?_ She had lived her life not meeting anybody's smile. She never learnt to smile either. What's worse is there was nothing she should smile at.

Uncontrollably, she grinned back at him. She could not fathom why. She just felt like doing so, as a reflexive response or whatsoever.

"Why?" She couldn't help asking.

"Why." Toto tightened his grip and laughed. "Because a brother is supposed to do anything for his sister, right? And you're my sister, my _nee-chan_, so I'll tackle all your trouble. From now on, we're one. You can count on me."

She couldn't believe it. The first time in her life, someone was attempting to care for her. _Was it true? Was it all real?_ Someone was willing to combat with her problems and defend her. Someone was giving her a place to rely on.

Still, uncertainty swirled within her. She had never trusted anyone before and she shouldn't trust him easily. He was too mysterious and…unstable. But she would let him have his way for a while. At least, she wouldn't go against him, not after he saved her life the other day.

"Let's go!" Toto grabbed Yosuga's hand and said hyperactively.

"Go where?"

"Have lunch~"

Then, he dragged her out of the room, slamming the door behind them.


	2. To Be or Not To Be

"Toto"

Yosuga stood at the railing and peered down from top of the roof. The wind tapped against her patsy face, sending chills down her spine. If she lost her balance for one second, she could roll over and fall.

"Huh?" The boy looked up at her, with a slice of pizza stuck in his mouth.

"Say, if I jump from here, will I die?" She asked, her eyes reaching to the ground. She already pictured herself crossing over the fence and leaping out into the air. She would fly and the gravity would pull her down all at once, crushing her cranium and fracturing her bones. She would die in agony with excessive loss of blood.

"No." Toto said almost instantly. "Because onee-chan's branch of sin will open a shield for you and if it doesn't, I'll jump with you and catch you when you fall."

Yosuga nodded. She knew he would say that.

"Are you sure you don't want the last chicken wing?" The boy sniggered.

"No. You can have it."

"That's so kind of you, nee-chan." Toto gleefully devoured his food.

"Toto, Yosuga's going to die." She sighed, sitting down next to him. The boy seemed oblivious to her sorrow. He carried on eating.

"Why?"

"The date's set." Yosuga explained. "Yosuga is going to the Carnival Corpse next week and she's going to get killed."

"No, she isn't." Toto affirmed, wiping his mouth with his palms. He took a sip of his orange juice.

"Yes, she is."

"No!" Toto yelled, which startled her. She gazed at him in horror. His eyes were piercing her as he leaned forward.

"You won't die because I won't let you die." He said firmly with a frown.

"And why do you even care?" Yosuga retorted. "I've just known you for a week and you start calling me onee-chan and all that. That's really getting on my nerves. I don't know why you're taking me so seriously. Yousga never said she needs a brother anyway."

The boy paused just glancing at her. Their eyes met. For some reason, her heart was racing. She thought he would be pissed but he wasn't. He just sighed and shook his head.

"That really hurts, nee-chan." He lay back. "If you don't want me to call you onee-chan, I'll call you Yosuga. But then that'll be different because I don't need any friends. I just need a _sister_."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't have to make sense, does it?"

Well, he was right. If she didn't care much about anything, why would she bother about making sense?

"Do you have a sister? I mean, for real."

Toto didn't answer. Instead, he just stood up and stretched his arms. Without a word, he started walking away.

"Toto, where're you going?"

"Meh, nee-chan doesn't need me, so I'm leaving."

"But I'm not…" She tried to grab him. He stopped and stared at her. "Well, yes or no?"

"What?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Be my nee-chan or we won't see again. I won't bother you anymore if you think I'm a trouble to you." He asserted.

"But…"

"Yes or no?"

She couldn't understand why he was so persistent and stubborn. If she let him go, he probably wouldn't come back again. It would be like they had never met. _Would she want that to happen? Is it what she wished?_

"Y-Yes." She finally nodded, succumbing to the pressure he gave her. His mouth gradually curved into a cheesy smile and he embraced her, jigging with ecstasy. She blushed at his sudden cuddle. She had never been hugged by someone before.

"It doesn't matter you win or not because as said, onee-chan is such a weakling." Toto sneered. "I will win every battle for you. I won't let you die."

For years, she wandered without a reason to live. Even then, she still didn't know why she was living. But this newly acquainted _'brother'_ somewhat faltered her determination to die. Could she really win in the Carnival Corpse?

* * *

The day before her fight, Toto broke into her room. _Again._

"Toto!" She hissed. The boy dashed towards her and forced her mouth open, sliding a candy down her cavity.

"Emmmm…" Yosuga struggled but Toto made her swallow it.

"W-Why…" She gasped, pushing him away.

"Because I knew you would do that." Toto said, hands on his hips. "Onee-chan doesn't want to join the Carnival Corpse so she wants to poison herself to death by not taking the candy."

"Damn it. Nobody fucking told you to ruin my plan!" Yosuga cried, tossing the first thing in her sight at the boy, which turned out to be a vase. The vase crashed onto his chest and splintered into pieces. The glass shards left a lesion on his cheek. Blood dripped down his chin.

She gawked at him in dismay, waiting for him to retaliate with his branch of sin, but he didn't. He just stood there, motionless and silent. His expression was hurt and heart-breaking.

"I-I…"

Immediately, Yosuga regretted what she did. She rushed to him and examined his wound. "I..I'm so sorry, Toto." Blood kept spilling out from his cut but he didn't seem to feel any pain. He just ogled her, touching her hair with his hand.

"The stitches…they are broken." She said, shocked to realize she had cut open one of Toto's sewn wound.

"Never mind that." He brushed away her hand, smiling. "I'll do a bit of surgery on myself later."

"Why must you do this?"

"Because we will live together." He said naively. "If you can't earn any candies, I will earn them for you just as I will fight and kill for you. Oh I almost forgot to say- I've won again today! So you should win tomorrow as well! I know you will!"

"Will I?" She leered sarcastically. Even she had no idea what her branch of sin would do. She had no control of her own power. Her own sin might as well accidentally kill herself and she would be pleased to die.

"Of course you will."

"Come over here, I'll help stitch back your wound." She said, pulling him to the bedside.

"Say, Toto, if…. Yosuga really gets killed tomorrow, what will you do?" She asked curiously while sewing his lesion.

Toto tilted his head, pretending to be in a deep thought.

"Nee-chan isn't going to get killed." He said.

"But what if…"

"If she is really killed, I'm going to kill whoever kills her." Toto said confidently.

"Toto is really strong, eh?" She smiled. If she were him, she would probably fear no death. But she would still prefer death. Life was a living hell for her. _An endless ordeal._

"Toto's stronger when onee-chan's around."

"But even before I was here, you never lost."

"Not exactly. It's just because I never got into a real battle with Wretched Egg."

"The Wretched Egg?"

It was the first time Yosuga was told about the Wretched Egg. Toto spent the whole night explaining how he had been waiting for the opportunity to challenge and to defeat the Wretched Egg, who appeared to possess the most destructive branch of sin.

"They say I'm the only one comparable to it." Toto chuckled. "I came across it once but never got the chance to fight with it. It'll be thrilling to have a face-to-face dual with the Wretched Egg."

"Do you think you can win?" Yosuga asked.

"I don't know. Maybe." Toto answered as if it didn't matter to him. He just wanted a confrontation with the Wretched Egg, to test his power and to show his supremacy. That's all.

"Done."

Toto took a quick look at his wound and shrugged. "Thanks."

"Toto, why didn't you dodge?"

He smirked and poked her cheek. "Because I didn't see it coming."

Yosuga knew he was lying. She was not stupid to believe a skillful deadman like him could be hurt by a simple vase. He just didn't duck, for some reason, from her attack. And he didn't strike back either.

"I didn't know onee-chan would be angry at me." Toto admitted, playing with his fingers like a child. "I just wanted to feed you a candy."

"You really don't have to do that. Save the candies for yourself. I don't like the taste of it anyway."

"But everyone needs candies~ I'll bring you one every day." Toto said. "Can I stay over tonight? I don't feel like walking back to my room."

"What?" Yosugo exclaimed. Toto was already lying on her bed, thrashing about.

"Oh please, nee-chan. And shouldn't you make it up to me after you hurt me like that?" He croaked, holding onto one of her pillows.

"Fine. You've taken shower, right? I don't want any dirt on my bed."

"That's mean." Toto chuckled. "I'm clean as new."

"I'll take the coach." Yosuga rolled her eyes and walked away but Toto held her back.

"Shouldn't onee-chan sleep with me?" He asked.

"What?!"

Before Yosuga could protest, he had already hauled her to his side. Thunderstruck, she tried to pull away from him but he wrapped his arms around her. Seeing no point in struggling, she gave in and switched off the lights.

"It's been quite a while." Toto muttered, his eyes shut.

"Eh?"

"To sleep with onee-chan."

Yosuga scowled, reckoning he might be talking about his own biological sister. She believed he had one. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so keen on making a stranger his sister. Something awful must have happened to his real sibling. _Perhaps she had passed away and got killed right in front of his eyes?_ That could be possible.

"Yea, whatever." Yosuga murmured back, clinging onto his warm body. It had been such a long time since someone lay beside her. She had always been alone after the disaster. _Homeless. Powerless. Hopeless._

"Toto will give you luck tonight." The boy simpered, tightening his hold around her. "And you will surely win at the Carnival tomorrow."

Yosuga smiled and dozed off.

* * *

If there was one thing special about Toto was that what he said always came true. Yosuga could hardly believe it. She actually won in the Carnival Corpse. Indeed, it was out of everyone's expectations. The audience probably bet on her failure. Somehow, though, maybe due to Toto's blessings, she won. She didn't really manage to control her ability properly. She basically screwed up right in the middle of the match but her branch of sin had protected her. When she thought she was dying, her power opened up a shield and defended her, preventing her death. She was both relieved and disappointed. _Relieved that the fight had ended. Disappointed that she was saved by her own branch of sin, something she didn't want in the first place..._

She was injured, though not severely. This supernatural power was new to her and with every use of it, she lost a great deal of strength. Exhausted, she fainted. In her last consciousness, she saw her opponent lying dead a few meters away from her. _She had killed someone. With her own hands. With her own blood._

When she regained her senses, she was in the medical room. Every inch of her body ached with unbearable pain. She felt her limbs wrapped in bandages and a large pad was stuck to her face. She fluttered her eyes, only to see a familiar face.

"Onee-chan!" Toto shouted with excitement. He hugged her merrily.

"Toto?" She whispered under her breath. "Did I die? Am I in hell right now?"

"Oh no! You didn't die." Toto said, giving her a light kiss on the forehead, which made her blush in embarrassment. "Like I said, you won! You won! Hehe~"

"Did I?"

"Yup! Want an apple, nee-chan?" Toto offered. Yosuga ignored him and groaned. "Why couldn't I die properly?"

"Eh?"

"Yosuga has nothing left. She's lost everything long before she realized it. And yet, everyone is keeping her alive against her own wills…why?"

Toto sighed.

"Do you really think there are people who have a reason to live?"

Yosuga widened her eyes incredulously and glared at him.

"You're not the only one who's ever wished to die." Toto said bleakly.

A stream of tears rolled down her eyes. She was confused, lost. She didn't know what to think anymore. To know she had always been alone in this world was tearing her apart. And to know she had never been able to die was afflicting her.

She clenched her eyes and began to whine, though it was an unpleasant idea to sob in front of someone. Toto dropped the apple and gulped.

"Yosuga?" It was one of those rare times he called out her name directly. She covered her face with both hands.

"S-Sorry." She turned away from him and whimpered. He bent over and took her hands. Her crying face lay bare in his sight. She quavered when he approached her and kissed her cheek, licking off her tears.

"Toto?!" She flinched automatically, stunned.

"If onee-chan can't find the reason to live, I'll find one for you." He smiled with a slight blush on his face.


	3. A Reason to Live

She hated herself for being so nosy. She actually bumped into Tamaki on her way back to G-Block and due to her growing intense curiosity, she asked him about Toto.

"There, there, sweetheart, got used to Deadman Wonderland yet?" The notorious man with glasses said. Yosuga stared at him in disgust.

"Buck off." She stuttered.

"I like girls with temper." Tamaki nibbled his lips. She went no further than cursing him, for she realized if she provoked him, he would make her suffer in every possible way. She had heard rumors about a previous pair of lovers in G-Block who got put into battle by Tamaki. This guy was basically psychotic, mind-twisted and tarnished. Still, she needed him to give her some information.

"Toto? Mocking bird?" He asked, looking as though a question mark was whirling on top of his head.

"Yea."

"You two are friends?"

"You can say that."

"What do you want to know about him?" Tamaki fixed his glasses and mocked.

Yosuga thought for a minute before saying. "His weakness."

The man laughed manically, which began to annoy her. Nonetheless, she remained calm.

"You're looking for Mockingbird's weakness?"

She nodded once more to confirm.

"Well, dear, I don't think he has one." Tamaki said. "He's far too talented. He even approached the Wretched Egg. What do you think he can be weak at? Haha."

"O-Oh…Yosuga was actually meaning to ask if he has some weakness of his past." She clarified. Tamaki raised his brows in bewilderment.

"Interesting." He said and gestured her to follow him. "Come on dear, let's check this out."

He brought her to his office and he started rummaging about Toto's profiles. Yosuga waited patiently. There's something she had to know no matter what. She was yearning to learn of his history…of his past….and of his sister, if he had had one.

"I see. He did have an older sister before he came here, if that's the sort of information you're looking for." Tamaki reported, his eyes scanning through the screen. "It seems that she's his only family member, but she died protecting him during the earthquake. Then, he was arrested and transferred to Deadman Wonderland. This kid is simply strong, no, more accurately, terrifying. He's invincible, if we're not speaking of the Wretched Egg."

_So, he did have a real sister before._ She should have known.

"He was an orphan. Just like you, sweetheart."

Yosuga shivered as she heard that. An image of Toto fighting in Carnival Corpse emerged in her head. She saw him covered in blood. He killed non-stop. He won with glory in every battle. But his victory was also his curse. Nobody dared to get near him. They gossiped about him. They avoided and alienated him because he was too dangerous. It didn't take her long to realize he came to her with a death wish. They were both lonely in this world, with nothing to hang on to. Yet, he fought. She, on the other hand, asked for death. Just like her, he had no reason to live but he survived anyway. _With his own branch of sin_. When he met her, he pretended he had reunited with his sister. She was the only person left on earth that was connected to him.

She slammed the door behind her and slunk away from Tamaki's office. She caught Toto lingering outside her room. When he saw him, his face lighted up. With a flexible leap, he jumped onto her.

"Onee-chan~ Welcome back. Meh, I've been waiting for you like two hours." He complained.

"The door isn't locked, Toto." She had got so accustomed to his trespasses that she had taken the habit of leaving the door half-open, so that he could pop in anytime without latching the lock.

"Yea, I know, but you aren't inside." He sulked.

"Geez, Toto, you smell of blood." Yosuga grumbled. It was obvious he had just returned from another fight. "Are you hurt?" That was a silly question to be honest. He barely got hurt and even if he did, the injury was often mild. Despite the foolish question, he looked delighted to know she was caring about him.

"Nope." He shook his head and smiled. "I'll take a shower now if you don't mind me using your bathroom."

Yosuga settled down and read her fiction while Toto went bathing. She struggled to finish a page but all she could think of was Toto. She tried to shake the image of him out of her brain but failed. Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open and Toto hurled something at her. The hard, solid object hit the ground with a banging noise. Her eyes immediately flickered to the floor. There lay a gun.

"There, I bought it with my extra CP!" Toto said, wiping his drenched hair with a towel.

"What? Is this for me?"

"Yea." In a fleeting moment, Toto stretched out his arms and jumped. "BANG! Just like that. With this gun, we can die together any time, onee-chan."

"D-Die?" Yosuga gaped at him, petrified. "Yosuga will shoot Toto full of holes?"

"Yup. And I'll tear nee-chan into pieces."

"So…whatever unpleasant things come in our way, we can always die together?"

"Sure. Doesn't it sound more comforting now?" Toto nodded and sat down facing her. He handed her the gun.

"Y-Yes…more comforting." She muttered, tearing up.

"From now on, this will be your reason to live." Toto claimed with a cheerful smile.

"Wait, hold on a second." Yosuga frowned as she examined the gun. "Isn't this made of plastic only?"

"Yes, it's a toy gun."

Next, the two burst into laughter.

"Toto, this is stupid." Yosuga laughed, twisting her body. "And you wasted your CP just on that?!"

"Nah, I promised I would find a reason for onee-chan to live and I did." Toto giggled.

He sat up and looked down at Yosuga, who was still rolling on the floor. They exchanged a serene glance and then…and then…

He bent down to kiss her.

Overwhelmed, she shied away from him, flushing.

"T-Toto?"

"Well, onee-chan's lips taste sweet." Toto joked playfully, biting his own lips.

"But Toto, aren't I your onee-chan?" Yosuga questioned.

"Yes. You'll always be my onee-chan."

"But isn't it wrong to…do that to your onee-chan?" Yosuga scorned.

"Um…" Toto paused for a moment and then laughed. "There's nothing right or wrong as to there's nothing that makes sense. Onee-chan is just a delusion like this gun is just a pretend~ You aren't my real nee-chan but you are my _nee-chan_ because my nee-chan is the only person I love and have ever loved."

Yosuga's eyes bulged. She could feel her face reddening immensely and heat was bubbling up in her body. She froze at the last sentence. Was he confessing? Or was he just making an analogy?

"Awww…Onee-chan is cute. You're blushing like hell." Toto tittered.

"It's all your fault." Yosuga snorted and grasped her pillow, burying her face in it.

"D-Did she look like me?" She asked.

"Not really." Toto said. "You look prettier."

"Then why me?"

"Because… you made me think of her when you said you didn't want to live." This time, it was Toto's turn to blush. "You know, when I first came here, I had nothing. Before I got to use my branch of sin, I never thought I would make it through without my nee-chan. But I lived on. Each day, I kill and go through crazy shit. I figured out the only way to survive is to make people scared of me and I know they are. I wanted myself to be stronger and perhaps one day, I would find the true reason to live. I don't want you to think there's nothing worth living for because my onee-chan died trying to protect me. She's the reason I'm still here today. So…when I saw you…I thought if I made you _my onee-chan_, it would become my turn to protect you. I would grant you the reason to live in this world."

Yosuga listened in astonishment. She now understood why he made her his sister. It was all done to keep a promise. _A promise of living and death._ If they had to be together, they should live and die together. Only then would they become inseparable.

She reached out her shaky hands to stroke his light-greened hair and smiled. She seldom smiles. But this time, she felt like doing so. Somewhere, deep down, she felt reassurance and peace. Toto placed his hands on hers and smiled back. The night was long but their life must go on. With the gun on her lap, she slanted forward and pressed her lips against his.

_Finally, she found her reason to live._

_Finally, she found her reason to die._

_She would live solely for him and die only in his hands. _

"Thank you, Toto." She whispered.


	4. Up on the Ferris Wheel

Toto hid behind the curtains, his move light and breathless, not wishing to be discovered. He listened carefully to the conversation.

"Yosuga loves Toto…but he probably doesn't realize that…"

"Well, perhaps you can tell him." Nagi advised.

"No…Yosuga wants to keep things this way….delusional or not."

Toto gulped with his heart racing. Indeed, he realized she loved him. He could feel that when he kissed her. But he had only known how to love someone as his older sister. No one else… That's why he kept calling her "nee-chan". If he started calling her "Yosuga" directly, he feared he couldn't love her the same way he did right now. He didn't know how to treat someone merely as a _girl_. He only knew how to protect and care for someone as his _sister_. He sighed. She was afraid he would grow tired of this game someday and abandon her. In the same way, he was afraid she would stop being his "nee-chan".

He tried his best to remain calm. As soon as the two stopped conversing, he turned around and pretended he had just entered the infirmary. He fed her lunch, behaving as casually as he could. He didn't want her to suspect he had overheard them, even though there were dozens of questions he wished to ask her.

"Toto…" Yosuga muttered.

"Yes, nee-chan?" He forced a natural smile.

"Yosuga wants to go back to her own room…."

"Sure, I'll carry you back there after we finish this." Toto said, feeding her another spoonful of stew.

"Sorry for always troubling you…"

"Why would you say that?" He widened his eyes. "I never think nee-chan is troubling me. We'll always stick together, right?"

"I…guess so." Yosuga smiled.

"Listen," He put down the cutlery and placed her hand into his. She gazed at him curiously. "I know nee-chan always thinks that Toto isn't being serious enough, but I can assure you that, we will be together as long as we live. Even if we're going to die, we will die together and get buried in the same grave, okay?"

"Yes…" Yosuga fluttered her eyes nervously, a bit startled by his genuine words.

"Does that make you feel better?" Toto teased.

"Yes…much better." She chuckled.

"I love your smile, nee-chan. You're now smiling more often than before."

"Well…Yosuga probably just…learnt it from Toto." Yosuga cooed, her face aflame.

"Nee-chan, is there something you want?"

"Huh?"

"Like, a novel maybe? Some snacks? New clothes? New hair-band? I'll buy it for you."

"Toto…you really don't have to…" Yosuga said with guilt, fiddling with her own fingers. "And please, don't fight that often in Carnival Corpse…We'll live with enough candies…Yosuga doesn't need any other thing except Toto…"

Toto blushed at her confession. He sat back, turning away to hide his reddened cheeks.

"But…if there's something Yosuga really wishes…"

"Yes, what's it?" Toto grabbed both of her hands eagerly, listening with full concentration.

"Um…Toto, how long have you been in Deadman Wonderland?"

"Me?" Toto squinted and thought for a moment. "Five or six years...something like that….I don't actually remember it, haha."

"Have you…ever thought of going out….?"

"What? You mean leaving Deadman Wonderland?"

Yosuga nodded. "Then, we won't have to fight anymore. We can live on our own…without that Tamaki…or the need of candy to sustain our life…or the fear of Carnival Corpse."

"Well, that sounds like a fabulous idea to me!" Toto exclaimed. He had never imagined how life would be outside Deadman Wonderland. Apparently, he wouldn't have to fight anymore or to make himself the most fearful deadman among all. They could be living an ordinary life. They could be spending every day together. There would be so much for them to explore and experience.

"Say, is this what nee-chan wants?"

"M-Maybe…" Yosuga shrugged. The same image of her living freely with Toto outside swirled in her head. They could do whatever they wanted then. There would be no obstacles, no unpleasant events, no sorrow and regrets.

"Oh great! If that's what nee-chan wants, I'm gonna make it come true!"

"What? How?"

"Um…" Toto raised his brows, his hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I guess I'll think of something. I've never thought about prison-breaking before but then, if it's to escape with nee-chan, it's worth everything I can risk for. Haha"

"Toto's an idiot." Yosuga pouted and they both burst into laughter.

* * *

"Nee-chan~!"

Toto kicked open the door and jumped onto Yosuga, who flinched from his sudden embrace.

"Toto?"

"I've found it!" Toto shouted triumphantly.

"Found what?"

His eyes roamed over the room. Hastily, he locked the door and nestled his head on Yosuga's shoulder, whispering. "The way to get out of DW."

"What?" Yosuga widened her eyes skeptically.

"Why, nee-chan, don't you want to get out?"

"Well…yes…but…I thought we were just joking…"

"No." Toto affirmed. "We're going to end this madness here. Right now."

"But…how?"

"I knew the reason why we're here." Toto scowled, crossing his legs. She had never seen him so glum before. "It's all because of that creature."

"Eh?"

"After I won in the Carnival Corpse today, the director called me in. He told me everything. How and why we ended up here in Deadman Wonderland. The earthquake…our branch of sin…it's all the Wretched Egg's fault!"

"What the hell…." Yosuga couldn't believe what she heard. "Is that really true?"

"Can't be truer." Toto shot her an indignant, disgusted stare. "Fuck the Wretched Egg!" He cursed. "I'm going to kill it and blow up this place!"

"But…Toto! How on earth could someone cause such destructive earthquake? And if the Wretched Egg is also the cause of our branch of sin…it has got to be very strong and…mutated."

"I don't care. I was going to battle with it anyway." Toto said, his eyes glinting with wrath. "I'll rip it into pieces and kick its ass. Yeah."

Feeling Toto's insanity boiling up, Yosuga gasped, frightened. For a second, she regretted what she had said earlier. If he was going to fight the Wretched Egg, what if he couldn't make it and lose? _What if he never came back? _All kinds of dreadful thoughts started striking her. She could no longer listen to Toto properly.

"Meh, and guess what? The director said he's going to let me confront the Wretched Egg!"

"What?!"

"Yup, I'm going to fight that bitch tomorrow." Toto said with a confident, proud smile.

_No, this couldn't be right._ She couldn't just let him go and battle with such a monstrous being. Well, they were monsters themselves. But if what Toto said was true, the Wretched Egg had to be the origin of all monsters in Deadman Wonderland, which made it the ultimate culprit of all sins.

"No, please, Toto." She clung to him tightly, which shocked him.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't go. Don't fight with the Wretched Egg." She pleaded. Somehow, she had a bizarre feeling that he might not return once he left her.

"Why? Isn't freedom what nee-chan wants?" Toto asked innocently, looking straight into her grey dazzling eyes. Her gorgeous face reflected a twisted, melancholy expression though.

"But…Toto…"

"It's okay. Remember the gun I gave you?" Toto smiled brightly. "It's our promise to die together, right? I'm not going to be killed by the Wretched Egg. Instead, I'm going to send it back to where it belongs! THE DAMN HELL!"

Yosuga shivered at his last utterance. An unfathomable stream of fear stabbed her heart. She couldn't bear to think of the scene. She tightened her grip around Toto's waist. The boy could almost sense every bit of her anxiety. She was trembling with sheer fright.

"Yosuga…"

The girl's mouth gaped open. She glanced at Toto in disbelief.

"Wh…What did you just say?"

"Yosuga." Toto grinned with a naive expression.

"But…isn't Yosuga Toto's _nee-chan_?"

Toto nodded and hugged her. Her heart started beating fast. She panicked at his unusual behavior.

"I thought this is what you always wanted." Toto whispered into her ears. "You said you would want me to treat you as my girl, not my nee-chan, just for once."

Immediately, Yosuga blushed, knowing he had overheard her conversation with Nagi the other day. She shook her head in defense. "No…I don't mean that…"

"We can try, you know?" Toto laughed softly. "If that's alright for you."

She hushed for a while. Not seeing her object to his approach, he bent down to kiss her. She didn't resist. Gradually, he let himself lean in and glided his tongue into her mouth.

"Ermm…" Yosuga resisted a little at first but Toto didn't pull away from her. Their kiss got more passionate. In the end, he gently pinned her on the wall, his mouth shifting from her lips down to her neck and collarbone.

"Toto…" She jabbered with perplexity. _Why was he suddenly being so obsessive? Was it because he had to fight with the Wretched Egg? Was he implying that he might not be coming back?_

"No…" She pushed him away. He staggered backwards.

"Sorry…you don't want it?" He asked, his golden eyes gleaming.

"I…" She struggled with her mind. Heat was bubbling up within her. Yes, she wanted it. But what she didn't want was him having a duel with the Wretched Egg.

In a slow motion, she rested her head back on his chest. He cuddled her. His arms were warm and safe. He ran his fingers through her pink wavy hair. He could feel her breath, her chest banging against his with each exhalation. An instant urge of desires fueled him. He had never felt this way before. He looked down at her pastel frail face. The longer he ogled it, the more he wanted to protect this girl for the rest of his life.

He pecked at her mouth and nibbled her lips. She returned his kiss timidly. Smoothly, he lifted her up and placed her onto the bed. He positioned himself above her. She gawked at him with a faint smile. He smiled back. He kissed her, his hands slowly slipping into her jumper, tracking her tender skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. They could feel the intense heat between them. His hands crawled over her belly, exploring her waist. She squirmed a little but did not dodge. Bit by bit, she could feel his touch on her thighs, hips and breasts. It was rather awkward as they had never done anything similar before. Still, she unbuttoned his coat, revealing his scarred body. Her thin fingers traced the stitched wounds on his stomach and ribs. He held her hands and kissed her once more. He could feel himself being suppressed by lust and passion. He made an active move by undressing her. Not only did she look delicate, she was thin as well. It occurred to him that all this time she was always wearing over-sized sweater to conceal her physical weaknesses. He doubted if he should continue, fearing he might unintentionally hurt her. If there was anyone he wouldn't wish to harm, it would have to be Yosuga.

Nonetheless, she nodded at him, hinting that it was alright to go on. He smiled and started caressing her, which he had never done with any other girls before. He knew well at the very moment, he did not treat her as his nee-chan anymore but a real girl he loved. Still, he would retain that special family bond with her. He reckoned if he truly loved her, he might as well treat her as his family member for real.

"Is that okay if I…do that to you?" He purred with uncertainty. He felt her nod slightly. Cautiously, he unzipped his pants and went inside her body. She clawed his back and cried at the pain. Her cries were so soft that he could barely hear them. He avoided bumping into her violently. He kept his pace slow and gentle so as not to injure her. Her arms enveloped him. He could feel her breasts rubbing against his chest. He was completely aroused but he would not go further than his current speed. He had his own control over his desires. Soon afterwards, as the agony of losing her innocence eased off, Yosuga relaxed her body. With Toto shoving in and out of her, she began to moan meekly. Midway through, she dropped her hair-band. Her hair reached down till her waist. Toto glanced in amazement at her long polished hair. It was so beautiful. _She was so beautiful..._

"Toto…" She babbled. He smiled and planted a light kiss on her cheek. Their bodies were imbued with pleasure and their heart with affections. _He loved her_, he said to himself. _How could one ever think about love in a hellish place like this? _He had never dreamt of loving someone before he met her. He admitted he originally just intended to make her a substitute for his deceased sister. However, as time rolled on, his feelings for her grew stronger and had long exceeded the mere level of siblings' affiliation. He loved her as both his delusional _"nee-chan"_ and as a real _lover_. He would live and die with her. There was simply, nothing, _nothing_, that could separate them. He would free them both from this living hell. After he defeated the Wretched Egg, they would return to the world they used to live in, not that he actually remembered much about his life before the earthquake. All he knew right now was that someone would be waiting for him. Yosuga would be staying behind for his return. And even if he never did come back, he was certain she would go and look for him.

With his heart melting, he pressed his lips against her neck and then breasts. She groaned shyly, embarrassed. He smirked and kept thrusting in and out of her body. Some moments later, they both started to pant heavily. He kept his gentle move to prevent himself from exhausting her. Seeing her begin to enjoy it herself, he breathed in relief.

"Toto…" She moaned and mumbled his name. They were both getting close to their peak. Her legs tightened around his hips as he came inside her.

Slowly, he collapsed on top of her. The two were wheezing in heaps of sweat, their faces burning in crimson.

"Toto…it's Yosuga's first time and it feels really strange…" The girl blushed and commented. "But Yosuga thinks she likes it…"

"Haha, I love it too." Toto mocked, stroking her hair. He now lay beside her, with her in his arms.

"And Yosuga knows Toto was being really gentle to her…"

"I can't help it, hehee. You're as brittle as a glass. I keep thinking if I went faster, I might break you by accident." He sneered. "And nee-chan is so sweet that I couldn't bear to see you hurt."

"Th…That's not true." Yosuga argued. "Yosuga will try to become stronger. Even if she's physically weak, she is mentally strong…maybe?"

"Sure, that's my girl." He kissed her forehead and giggled. "Now, nothing will ever do us part."

"Yup…" Yosuga repeated. "Nothing will ever do us part."

With their hands firmly entwined, they fell asleep in each other's embrace.

_Little did they realize this would be the last time they ever shared the same bed together…_


	5. Shielding Shadow

"Toto…?"

Yosuga rubbed her eyes. She made a comfortable turn under her duvet, expecting to see her little _brother_ lying next to her but the spot was empty.

"Toto…?" She sat up, still yawning. She checked the clock. Eight thirty. "It's only this early….Yosuga wonders where Toto could be…"

She leapt out of bed, stretching her exhausted limbs. They did have a fun trip at the theme park after all. She was happy and he succeeded. He succeeded in pleasing her. Still, her muscles ached. It's simply pathetic how her physical body couldn't even endure a day's exercise. She loathed herself for being so…feeble. And to make matters worse, the way her branch of sin was behaving was irritating. She couldn't grasp the technique to control her power. It went off like a bomb, suddenly slaughtering everyone. It seemed as though her branch of sin possessed its own mind. It had defended her against perils when she yearned for death. And yet, after bumping into Toto, she had gradually lost the desire to die. She decided she might let herself struggle and survive a little bit longer, for Toto's sake.

She brushed her teeth and washed her face. Gosh, she looked awfully pale. She must have worn herself out the previous day, with Toto dragging her to ride the roller coaster five times in a row. She wondered how he managed to get past Tamaki for letting the two of them spend a leisure day in the park. It sounded somewhat fishy when she thought of it. Tamaki wasn't stupid enough to actually permit inmates, no, deadmen out on their own. What strategy did Toto take to make him comply with his request?

She followed her daily routine of getting dressed and tying her hair. Toto had left breakfast on the coach. She peeked at the toasted sandwiches and without even taking a bite, headed straight towards the door. It was no good eating alone. She enjoyed sharing food with him more. She was about to turn the knob when the door swung open violently.

Stumbling backwards, Yosuga lost her balance and fell right onto the floor. Her hips struck the metal edge of her bed. She moaned in pain.

"Damn little chick." A hoarse voice howled. She perked up abruptly and saw two men standing above her. She had never seen them before. One had his hands jammed into his pockets, with his oily orange hair combed backwards. The other one, probably the guy who kicked open the door, was dressed in grey. He was huge and brawny, with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Who….who're you?" Yosuga asked in her tremulous voice.

"You can ask that again." The guy spit the cigarette and grinned.

"Get out of my room!" Yosuga bellowed. "Yosuga doesn't know you people. Go!"

The two men exchanged a glance, amazed by her rage. Just when Yosuga got back up to her feet, the grey-shirted man shoved her across the room, causing her to hit the wall and collapse onto the bed. His comapny joined in, snatching both of her hands so that she couldn't move. Yosuga shrieked and kicked, but was pinned down in return. She stared in horror at the man on top of her, fear enclosing her mind.

"W..What do you want from Yosuga?" She whimpered, feeling weak. The man slapped her cheeks several times, making them go red and swollen.

"Yosuga, eh? If I remember it correctly, your stage name is **Rosy Finch**." The guy smirked.

"She does look rosy to me, haha."

"Do you remember who you killed during the Carnival Corpse?"

"Huh?" Yosuga widened her eyes as the stout man pulled out a dagger.

"Bitch, you killed my best buddy." He informed her. Her legs began to shake.

_No, this couldn't be happening. They were avenging on her. Were they going to kill her?_

"Now, back to your question. What're we going to do to you?" The orange-haired man raised his brows and looked curiously at his friend, who chuckled malevolently. "Let's rape this rosy chick and then wreck her body."

"No! Let me go!" Yosuga clenched her fists, trying to retaliate.

"So you're always saying you can't control your branch of sin huh? Why don't you show us what you can do with it?"

She was seized by the wrists. With his branch of sin like shooting arrows, one of her harassers ripped off her jumper. She screeched and titled her head, trying to avoid the kiss from the oily-haired man.

"T-Toto…!" Yosuga cried, hoping he would rescue her.

Just then, someone appeared at the door. Her attackers froze at once.

"Well well well…I don't suppose this is a proper way to treat a young lady, eh?"

Yosuga's eyes flickered to the young stranger standing right in front of them. He stood still and crossed his arms. He was wearing a black sweater and a pair of geta-sandals. Two chunks of his curly brown hair hung down from both sides of his cheeks with one strand particularly standing between his eyes. A long stitched scar crawled across his neck. She had seen him somewhere before, but not sure when.

"Holy crap, it's Owl, the widowed man." The man quickly slipped away from Yosuga's body.

"Another crazy freak."

Wielding his branch of sin, the orange-haired man blasted at the stranger, his snake-shaped blood flowing like torrents of rivers, completely swallowing up his victim. The blast, however, was dismissed almost instantly. The cascades of blood were broken down into fragments and sprayed everywhere. Owl stood being surrounded by dozens of round, tiny balls of blood. In one go, these balls flew like bullets, flaring out and penetrating the evil man. Yosuga watched in panic. Seeing his companion hurt, the muscular man shot at Owl with his arrow-like blood. Owl ducked readily and struck back with his eye-balled blood. The fight subsisted for a while before Yosuga saw the stranger being suppressed by the two thugs. She leapt out of bed and darted towards Owl, at the exact same second when the two men targeted their branch of sin at him.

"No!" She squealed. Left with no choice, she used her branch of sin despite dire consequences. She opened a shield and blocked the massive blood from her attackers. In return, her shield grew out thousands of sharp, nail-like daggers. With one shoot, all of them took off in the speed of light, piercing the two men severely.

They collapsed to the ground moaning. Blood was visible in every single part of the room. Yosuga began to pant. Her body reacted almost instantly to the drastic blood loss. She started convulsing and squirming on the ground.

"Damn it. She's insane!" With much difficulty, the two wounded men got up and limped away, leaving trails of blood along the corridor.

Still gasping, Yosuga saw the world spinning around her. She fell and Owl caught her in time.

"Oh gosh, are you alright?"

"S-Sorry…Yosuga gets this sometimes…when she overuses her power." Yosuga stuttered. "Are you hurt…Mr…Owl…?"

"Call me Nagi. No, I'm not hurt."

"G-Good…Yosuga's glad…" She could feel her strength gradually draining away.

"Hey, girl, hang in there. Don't black out." He shook her shoulders apprehensively and lifted her up.

Yet, she could no longer force her eyes open. In vague consciousness, she succumbed to extreme fatigue.

Yosuga woke up in the infirmary. She eyed the sheer whiteness. The walls and ceilings towered above her. The stuffiness was suffocating. In her blurred vision, she caught sight of a green-haired figure leaning close to her bed. He was sleeping, his face buried in his hands. With her weak, shaky hands, she reached out to touch his hair. Sensitive to any sort of stimuli, the boy lifted up his head immediately.

"Nee-chan~!" He exclaimed, standing up and hugging her.

"Toto." She whispered his name, rather disappointed she couldn't hold him back because her arms ached so much.

"How're you feeling? Are you hungry? Do you need any food? Water?" Toto started throwing all kinds of questions at her. She had a hard time grasping his words as her head was still flooded with wooziness.

She tried to sit up but had not the sufficient strength. Fortunately, the boy was caring enough to help her up, carefully placing a fluffy pillow behind her back to make her feel more comfortable.

"Nee-chan , tell me, which part of your body is hurting? I'll call the doctor in a minute."

"It's okay…" She said. "Yosuga is alright…"

"So, you're awake." Nagi popped in, smiling.

"Yo, Owl. I thought you left." Toto said.

"No, not yet, I thought I might check if she's alright. After all, this girl suffered quite a massive blood loss."

"What the hell just happened?" Toto asked, his pupils constricting as he stared at Nagi grimly. Nagi could feel the boy's lunacy slowly closing in.

"It's nothing…Toto…" Yosuga stammered, coughing at the same time.

"Well, you should have asked earlier." Nagi replied. "Your nee-chan's winning in the last Carnival Corpse seems to have attracted a few unfriendly stalkers."

"WHO THE FUCK ARE THEY?" Toto raised his voice, almost interrogating Nagi.

"Toto!" Yosuga tugged the side of his coat, signaling him to calm down.

"Sorry, nee-chan, I just wanna know who on earth could have broken into your cell and attacked you."

"If I tell you their names, are you going to kill them right now?" Nagai asked.

"Absobloodylutely." Toto said maliciously.

"That isn't good. It's going to get you into some trouble."

"I don't care. I'm gonna kill them. Now, tell me, who the hell are these…"

"Toto!" Yosuga called out in her fragile voice. "Yosuga thinks she needs a cup of water…right now…and preferably some food…maybe?"

Toto turned to her, paused for a second before nodding. "Okay, I'll get you some lunch, nee-chan."

"By the way, thanks for defending her." Toto muttered when he passed Nagi. "I owe you one, Owl."

"Don't mention it."

While Toto was away, Ngai took a seat next to Yosuga's bed. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes.

"Still exhausted?"

Yosuga nodded slightly. She couldn't believe she couldn't even nod properly. Her body was deteriorating like a rotten meat.

"Take some rest then. A couple of days will do."

"Y-Yes…"

"You do have a brilliant branch of sin. What's it called?"

"Um…Toto named it **Shielding Shadow**…" Yosuga answered bashfully. As a matter of fact, she never cared about naming her branch of sin in the first place, but Toto had insisted on giving it a special name. He said it would sound much better and more motivating. She let him grant her a name just as he granted her a reason for living. Eventually, he told her "Shielding Shadow" would be nice enough. Surprisingly though, she adored that name. It was somewhat a precious gift from Toto.

"So, you're Mockingbird's _nee-chan_, eh?"

"Yes…no…well…actually I'm not his biological sister."

"I could tell. You two don't even look alike." Nagi laughed. "I've never seen that boy getting close with anyone before. I guess he does have a friend in Deadman Wonderland."

"Is…Toto a loner?" Yosuga asked.

"If you've lived to be the strongest, I guess solitude is something inevitable."

"Toto's really strong?"

"Funny you should ask that." Nagi taunted. "You're his nee-chan. You should know better than we do, right? Or he's never revealed that kind of strength in front of you? Toto's probably the most powerful deadman around here."

Yosuga shook her head.

"Yosuga knows he's strong…that's why he always tries to protect me…" She sighed. "He may appear physically strong…but Yosuga knows he isn't always happy…"

"Oh? So, you know that boy's gloomy side?"

"M-Maybe…" Yosuga muttered.

"It doesn't surprise me." Nagi said. "Everyone here bears a past. There's always something you're dying to get rid of but cannot, no matter how strong you are. Toto fights to forget his pain. That's what I can see from him. He's never lost in any battle before but each time he returns with his prizes, his eyes are just as hollow as his heart. There's simply nothing but emptiness. For once, I wonder, what it means to be a human. His ruthlessness in Carnival Corpse stunned me."

"Can I ask you a question…Mr. Nagi?"

"Just Nagi. Yes, sure."

"Are you a friend of Toto's?"

"I wouldn't say so." Nagi tittered. "He doesn't really treat me as his friend. He's a mysterious boy, I can say. And I do admire his skills. I think you're most likely his only friend. It's a good thing though. At least, he's found someone he can hold on to."

"Really…?" Yosuga wondered how long they could keep their relationship. For some reason, she was afraid. Everything sounded like a hallucination to her. It was merely a delusional game between them. She was never his real nee-chan. He was never her real brother either._ Their promise. Their bond._ The more she valued them, the more scared she became of losing them. _Would they stay together forever? Would they actually be able to kill each other someday?_

"Is there…something you wish to talk about?" Noticing her angst, Nagi inquired.

"Nagi…do you have a family?"

The man widened his eyes and froze. His hands began to shake. A long moment of awkward silence took over, which made Yosuga gulp in distress.

"Sorry…Yosuga doesn't mean to…"

"I do." Nagi replied, his voice deep and low. He fixed his eyes to the ground. "I used to have. But she passed away."

"Oh…I…I'm sorry." Yosuga apologized, suddenly realizing he might be the one who got forced into fighting his wife in the Carnival Corpse.

"It's okay." The doleful man faked a smile. "My wife has died but our daughter is still alive. I'm searching for her. Say, do you think I'll find her?"

"Of course…you will." Yosuga said, almost sympathizing with Nagi. "Yosuga believes you will certainly find your daughter."

This time, Nagi smiled for real, feeling assured.

"Yosuga doesn't have a family…She never had one…but now…she suddenly has a brother…she feels glad yet weird…Somehow, she's scared."

"Is there something wrong between you and Toto?"

"No…nothing's wrong…just…"

"Yosuga, are you in love with Toto?"

The question struck her deeply. Yosuga frowned at once, overwhelmed. She had been asking herself the same thing over and over again. Still, she doubted it. She remembered all those kisses, but dared not take them seriously. After all, they could be a delusion as well.

_Everything could be just a play game for Toto…right?_

"Yosuga…doesn't know." She lowered her head and cooed. "She's…lost…She thinks Toto sees her just as onee-chan more than….a friend or a lover…"

"If that's your question, I think you'd better ask him directly. But again, that boy's different from normal people." Nagi grinned. "Do you know why 'nee-chan' matters that much to him?"

Yosuga ogled Nagi in awe.

"Girl, there's something beyond love that you must understand."

"Yosuga wonders what it is…?"

"It's bond, sweetheart. Calling someone your family isn't an easy task. If you treat someone as dearly as your family member, it simply means you are sharing a bond ever so inseparable. Romance may fade with time. Death may part us. But the bond remains. It's something that goes on forever. It's the reason why I keep believing…until this day…I'm still having faith in my future. My child is my future. My only hope to survive."

"B…But Yosuga isn't Toto's real…"

"It doesn't matter if it's just a pretend. It's what you do and believe that counts. You do believe in Toto, don't you?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Then, he'll never let go of you." Nagi said, patting on her head. "That boy is abnormal, so don't expect him to love someone in a normal way."

"Probably…?"

"Well? Have enough talk about me?" A childish voice said. Yosuga blushed as she saw Toto approach them with a bag of food.

"Meh, I'm jealous." Toto pouted teasingly. "You two seem to be enjoying a great time without me."

"Haha, that's not true. We'd love you here with us." Nagi stood up and let Toto lean in.

"I bought your favorites, onee-chan." Toto clapped his hands and swung a turn.

"Thanks…Toto."

"And I bought something for you too, Owl."

"Me too?"

"Yup, as a reward for saving my dear weakling sister~" Toto giggled and wrapped his arms around Yosuga.

"Anytime." Nagi laughed. "I must get going though. I'll leave you two alone now. See you later."


	6. Intertwined

Toto hid behind the curtains, his move light and breathless, not wishing to be discovered. He listened carefully to the conversation.

"Yosuga loves Toto…but he probably doesn't realize that…"

"Well, perhaps you can tell him." Nagi advised.

"No…Yosuga wants to keep things this way….delusional or not."

Toto gulped with his heart racing. Indeed, he realized she loved him. He could feel that when he kissed her. But he had only known how to love someone as his older sister. No one else… That's why he kept calling her "nee-chan". If he started calling her "Yosuga" directly, he feared he couldn't love her the same way he did right now. He didn't know how to treat someone merely as a _girl_. He only knew how to protect and care for someone as his _sister_. He sighed. She was afraid he would grow tired of this game someday and abandon her. In the same way, he was afraid she would stop being his "nee-chan".

He tried his best to remain calm. As soon as the two stopped conversing, he turned around and pretended he had just entered the infirmary. He fed her lunch, behaving as casually as he could. He didn't want her to suspect he had overheard them, even though there were dozens of questions he wished to ask her.

"Toto…" Yosuga muttered.

"Yes, nee-chan?" He forced a natural smile.

"Yosuga wants to go back to her own room…."

"Sure, I'll carry you back there after we finish this." Toto said, feeding her another spoonful of stew.

"Sorry for always troubling you…"

"Why would you say that?" He widened his eyes. "I never think nee-chan is troubling me. We'll always stick together, right?"

"I…guess so." Yosuga smiled.

"Listen," He put down the cutlery and placed her hand into his. She gazed at him curiously. "I know nee-chan always thinks that Toto isn't being serious enough, but I can assure you that, we will be together as long as we live. Even if we're going to die, we will die together and get buried in the same grave, okay?"

"Yes…" Yosuga fluttered her eyes nervously, a bit startled by his genuine words.

"Does that make you feel better?" Toto teased.

"Yes…much better." She chuckled.

"I love your smile, nee-chan. You're now smiling more often than before."

"Well…Yosuga probably just…learnt it from Toto." Yosuga cooed, her face aflame.

"Nee-chan, is there something you want?"

"Huh?"

"Like, a novel maybe? Some snacks? New clothes? New hair-band? I'll buy it for you."

"Toto…you really don't have to…" Yosuga said with guilt, fiddling with her own fingers. "And please, don't fight that often in Carnival Corpse…We'll live with enough candies…Yosuga doesn't need any other thing except Toto…"

Toto blushed at her confession. He sat back, turning away to hide his reddened cheeks.

"But…if there's something Yosuga really wishes…"

"Yes, what's it?" Toto grabbed both of her hands eagerly, listening with full concentration.

"Um…Toto, how long have you been in Deadman Wonderland?"

"Me?" Toto squinted and thought for a moment. "Five or six years...something like that….I don't actually remember it, haha."

"Have you…ever thought of going out….?"

"What? You mean leaving Deadman Wonderland?"

Yosuga nodded. "Then, we won't have to fight anymore. We can live on our own…without that Tamaki…or the need of candy to sustain our life…or the fear of Carnival Corpse."

"Well, that sounds like a fabulous idea to me!" Toto exclaimed. He had never imagined how life would be outside Deadman Wonderland. Apparently, he wouldn't have to fight anymore or to make himself the most fearful deadman among all. They could be living an ordinary life. They could be spending every day together. There would be so much for them to explore and experience.

"Say, is this what nee-chan wants?"

"M-Maybe…" Yosuga shrugged. The same image of her living freely with Toto outside swirled in her head. They could do whatever they wanted then. There would be no obstacles, no unpleasant events, no sorrow and regrets.

"Oh great! If that's what nee-chan wants, I'm gonna make it come true!"

"What? How?"

"Um…" Toto raised his brows, his hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I guess I'll think of something. I've never thought about prison-breaking before but then, if it's to escape with nee-chan, it's worth everything I can risk for. Haha"

"Toto's an idiot." Yosuga pouted and they both burst into laughter.

* * *

"Nee-chan~!"

Toto kicked open the door and jumped onto Yosuga, who flinched from his sudden embrace.

"Toto?"

"I've found it!" Toto shouted triumphantly.

"Found what?"

His eyes roamed over the room. Hastily, he locked the door and nestled his head on Yosuga's shoulder, whispering. "The way to get out of DW."

"What?" Yosuga widened her eyes skeptically.

"Why, nee-chan, don't you want to get out?"

"Well…yes…but…I thought we were just joking…"

"No." Toto affirmed. "We're going to end this madness here. Right now."

"But…how?"

"I knew the reason why we're here." Toto scowled, crossing his legs. She had never seen him so glum before. "It's all because of that creature."

"Eh?"

"After I won in the Carnival Corpse today, the director called me in. He told me everything. How and why we ended up here in Deadman Wonderland. The earthquake…our branch of sin…it's all the Wretched Egg's fault!"

"What the hell…." Yosuga couldn't believe what she heard. "Is that really true?"

"Can't be truer." Toto shot her an indignant, disgusted stare. "Fuck the Wretched Egg!" He cursed. "I'm going to kill it and blow up this place!"

"But…Toto! How on earth could someone cause such destructive earthquake? And if the Wretched Egg is also the cause of our branch of sin…it has got to be very strong and…mutated."

"I don't care. I was going to battle with it anyway." Toto said, his eyes glinting with wrath. "I'll rip it into pieces and kick its ass. Yeah."

Feeling Toto's insanity boiling up, Yosuga gasped, frightened. For a second, she regretted what she had said earlier. If he was going to fight the Wretched Egg, what if he couldn't make it and lose? _What if he never came back? _All kinds of dreadful thoughts started striking her. She could no longer listen to Toto properly.

"Meh, and guess what? The director said he's going to let me confront the Wretched Egg!"

"What?!"

"Yup, I'm going to fight that bitch tomorrow." Toto said with a confident, proud smile.

_No, this couldn't be right._ She couldn't just let him go and battle with such a monstrous being. Well, they were monsters themselves. But if what Toto said was true, the Wretched Egg had to be the origin of all monsters in Deadman Wonderland, which made it the ultimate culprit of all sins.

"No, please, Toto." She clung to him tightly, which shocked him.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't go. Don't fight with the Wretched Egg." She pleaded. Somehow, she had a bizarre feeling that he might not return once he left her.

"Why? Isn't freedom what nee-chan wants?" Toto asked innocently, looking straight into her grey dazzling eyes. Her gorgeous face reflected a twisted, melancholy expression though.

"But…Toto…"

"It's okay. Remember the gun I gave you?" Toto smiled brightly. "It's our promise to die together, right? I'm not going to be killed by the Wretched Egg. Instead, I'm going to send it back to where it belongs! THE DAMN HELL!"

Yosuga shivered at his last utterance. An unfathomable stream of fear stabbed her heart. She couldn't bear to think of the scene. She tightened her grip around Toto's waist. The boy could almost sense every bit of her anxiety. She was trembling with sheer fright.

"Yosuga…"

The girl's mouth gaped open. She glanced at Toto in disbelief.

"Wh…What did you just say?"

"Yosuga." Toto grinned with a naive expression.

"But…isn't Yosuga Toto's _nee-chan_?"

Toto nodded and hugged her. Her heart started beating fast. She panicked at his unusual behavior.

"I thought this is what you always wanted." Toto whispered into her ears. "You said you would want me to treat you as my girl, not my nee-chan, just for once."

Immediately, Yosuga blushed, knowing he had overheard her conversation with Nagi the other day. She shook her head in defense. "No…I don't mean that…"

"We can try, you know?" Toto laughed softly. "If that's alright for you."

She hushed for a while. Not seeing her object to his approach, he bent down to kiss her. She didn't resist. Gradually, he let himself lean in and glided his tongue into her mouth.

"Ermm…" Yosuga resisted a little at first but Toto didn't pull away from her. Their kiss got more passionate. In the end, he gently pinned her on the wall, his mouth shifting from her lips down to her neck and collarbone.

"Toto…" She jabbered with perplexity. _Why was he suddenly being so obsessive? Was it because he had to fight with the Wretched Egg? Was he implying that he might not be coming back?_

"No…" She pushed him away. He staggered backwards.

"Sorry…you don't want it?" He asked, his golden eyes gleaming.

"I…" She struggled with her mind. Heat was bubbling up within her. Yes, she wanted it. But what she didn't want was him having a duel with the Wretched Egg.

In a slow motion, she rested her head back on his chest. He cuddled her. His arms were warm and safe. He ran his fingers through her pink wavy hair. He could feel her breath, her chest banging against his with each exhalation. An instant urge of desires fueled him. He had never felt this way before. He looked down at her pastel frail face. The longer he ogled it, the more he wanted to protect this girl for the rest of his life.

He pecked at her mouth and nibbled her lips. She returned his kiss timidly. Smoothly, he lifted her up and placed her onto the bed. He positioned himself above her. She gawked at him with a faint smile. He smiled back. He kissed her, his hands slowly slipping into her jumper, tracking her tender skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. They could feel the intense heat between them. His hands crawled over her belly, exploring her waist. She squirmed a little but did not dodge. Bit by bit, she could feel his touch on her thighs, hips and breasts. It was rather awkward as they had never done anything similar before. Still, she unbuttoned his coat, revealing his scarred body. Her thin fingers traced the stitched wounds on his stomach and ribs. He held her hands and kissed her once more. He could feel himself being suppressed by lust and passion. He made an active move by undressing her. Not only did she look delicate, she was thin as well. It occurred to him that all this time she was always wearing over-sized sweater to conceal her physical weaknesses. He doubted if he should continue, fearing he might unintentionally hurt her. If there was anyone he wouldn't wish to harm, it would have to be Yosuga.

Nonetheless, she nodded at him, hinting that it was alright to go on. He smiled and started caressing her, which he had never done with any other girls before. He knew well at the very moment, he did not treat her as his nee-chan anymore but a real girl he loved. Still, he would retain that special family bond with her. He reckoned if he truly loved her, he might as well treat her as his family member for real.

"Is that okay if I…do that to you?" He purred with uncertainty. He felt her nod slightly. Cautiously, he unzipped his pants and went inside her body. She clawed his back and cried at the pain. Her cries were so soft that he could barely hear them. He avoided bumping into her violently. He kept his pace slow and gentle so as not to injure her. Her arms enveloped him. He could feel her breasts rubbing against his chest. He was completely aroused but he would not go further than his current speed. He had his own control over his desires. Soon afterwards, as the agony of losing her innocence eased off, Yosuga relaxed her body. With Toto shoving in and out of her, she began to moan meekly. Midway through, she dropped her hair-band. Her hair reached down till her waist. Toto glanced in amazement at her long polished hair. It was so beautiful. _She was so beautiful..._

"Toto…" She babbled. He smiled and planted a light kiss on her cheek. Their bodies were imbued with pleasure and their heart with affections. _He loved her_, he said to himself. _How could one ever think about love in a hellish place like this? _He had never dreamt of loving someone before he met her. He admitted he originally just intended to make her a substitute for his deceased sister. However, as time rolled on, his feelings for her grew stronger and had long exceeded the mere level of siblings' affiliation. He loved her as both his delusional _"nee-chan"_ and as a real _lover_. He would live and die with her. There was simply, nothing, _nothing_, that could separate them. He would free them both from this living hell. After he defeated the Wretched Egg, they would return to the world they used to live in, not that he actually remembered much about his life before the earthquake. All he knew right now was that someone would be waiting for him. Yosuga would be staying behind for his return. And even if he never did come back, he was certain she would go and look for him.

With his heart melting, he pressed his lips against her neck and then breasts. She groaned shyly, embarrassed. He smirked and kept thrusting in and out of her body. Some moments later, they both started to pant heavily. He kept his gentle move to prevent himself from exhausting her. Seeing her begin to enjoy it herself, he breathed in relief.

"Toto…" She moaned and mumbled his name. They were both getting close to their peak. Her legs tightened around his hips as he came inside her.

Slowly, he collapsed on top of her. The two were wheezing in heaps of sweat, their faces burning in crimson.

"Toto…it's Yosuga's first time and it feels really strange…" The girl blushed and commented. "But Yosuga thinks she likes it…"

"Haha, I love it too." Toto mocked, stroking her hair. He now lay beside her, with her in his arms.

"And Yosuga knows Toto was being really gentle to her…"

"I can't help it, hehee. You're as brittle as a glass. I keep thinking if I went faster, I might break you by accident." He sneered. "And nee-chan is so sweet that I couldn't bear to see you hurt."

"Th…That's not true." Yosuga argued. "Yosuga will try to become stronger. Even if she's physically weak, she is mentally strong…maybe?"

"Sure, that's my girl." He kissed her forehead and giggled. "Now, nothing will ever do us part."

"Yup…" Yosuga repeated. "Nothing will ever do us part."

With their hands firmly entwined, they fell asleep in each other's embrace.

_Little did they realize this would be the last time they ever shared the same bed together…_


	7. Returning To Hell

Yosuga stood limply, her mind straying away. She couldn't comprehend why. Toto had promised her he would be back in a few days but he never did return.

_What exactly happened between his fight with the Wretched Egg?_

"Excuse me, Yosuga wants to see the director." She requested in her quavering voice. The two eccentric twins stood before her and glared at her as if she was an alien. She caught sight of their plain white hair and terrifying scarlet eyes. _Albino, huh?_

"The director is not permitting any visitors at this moment, especially not someone he has zero interest in." The male white guard informed.

Yosuga looked at the twins in disgust. Their mannerisms and expressions looked identical in every single way.

_How could that be possible? Even if they were twins, how could they manage to speak and act exactly at the same time? _

"This has got to be a mad place." She muttered to herself.

"Yosuga's looking for Toto." She said once more. This time, the guards stomped forwards with menacing glance. She backed away in fear.

"The person you're looking for is no longer here." A familiar voice said. She perked up and saw Toto. _Her Toto…_

"Toto!" She scurried to him, but he pushed her away. She collapsed onto the floor.

"Sorry, but I don't think I know you." Toto smirked, his smile as poisonous as could be. He had never smiled so wickedly at her before. _What the hell happened?_

"Toto…" Yosuga looked into his eyes in sheer dismay. _No... _She kept reminding herself. It couldn't be. _Was he getting rid of her already? Was their delusional game coming to an end?_

"I say, the boy you're seeking is not here anymore." Toto laughed spitefully, his nasty voice echoing in the hallway.

"No…I don't understand…didn't you fight with the Wretched Egg?" Yosuga helped herself up, though finding grave difficulty to balance herself.

"Oh, girl, you know too much." Toto warily licked his lips. "What did Toto tell you about the Wretched Egg?"

"Huh? Aren't you Toto?" Yosuga gawked at the boy in front of her, completely baffled.

"Tell me what you know about the Wretched Egg." Toto slipped forwards and clutched her wrist, pulling her to him.

"What're you doing? You're hurting Yosuga!" She yelped in twinge but he didn't loosen his grip.

"Answer me or you die."

"Um…" The girl wailed. "Toto told Yosuga he's going to finish off the Wretched Egg. He said it is the reason why we're here…in Deadman Wonderland…"

"Exactly." The boy laughed frantically and shoved her away. "So you know. But your Toto hasn't defeated the Wretched Egg yet. Now off you go before I slice you into pieces."

"But…"

"Go." The hysterical boy shot her a daunting stare, which sent chills down her spine. Hastily, she turned away and ran off, with tears trickling down her face.

* * *

Two weeks passed after Yosuga's encounter with Toto outside the director's office. Many questions arose in her head. She couldn't find the key to her brother's sudden changes. He had never broken into her room since, nor had he agreed to see her. _Was this boy really the one she had vowed to live and die together with? And more importantly, was she still his nee-chan?_ For a horrendous moment, she considered herself just a play thing to him. First, he started off with making her his _"onee-chan"_. Then he pretended to love her and even bedded her…He lied about confronting the Wretched Egg so that he could dispose of her immediately like a trash…

"Could that…be possible?" Yosuga crouched in one corner, curling up her body like a ball. She shook her head slightly. _No, it couldn't all be just a __**game**__. _He had to be sincere when he kissed her like that. _Why would a brutal, merciless murderer caress someone so dearly?_ It just wouldn't make sense. In the end, she came to conclude that her Toto might as well be changed…

_Perhaps he was traumatized after battling with the Wretched Egg? Was he defeated? _

"Hey girl, you look awful." A mechanical voice said. Yosuga looked up to see Nagi. Yes! Nagi! They weren't practically friends but he might be able to help her. After all, he looked kind to her.

"Nagi!" Yosuga trotted towards him, huffing. "Have you ever seen Toto these days?"

"Toto?" Nagi widened his eyes. "What's with him? Nope, not lately."

"Yosuga hasn't seen him for weeks. She's beginning to freak out…"

"I was actually trying to find him. I want to recruit him to my team…"

"Your team?"

"Yes." The man bent over and whispered to her ears. "Our secret team, Scar Chain. We're going to wreck this Wonderland."

"But…Toto was also doing the same thing…"

"What?"

"He was trying to get us out." Yosuga muttered fretfully.

"Did something happen?" Nagi asked in concern.

"P-Probably…Yosuga is scared…because Toto won't see her anymore."

"I've heard from people that his personality changes a lot recently…I wonder what's happened... If even his nee-chan doesn't know a thing about him, something fishy must be going on." Nagi claimed in contemplation. Just then, footsteps could be heard clacking nearby. A red figure was shuffling toward them.

"Damn it. It's that fucking bastard."

"Who?" Yosuga clung to Nagi's arms, snuggling behind his back.

"Go, girl, I'll deal with this uber monk. It's Genkaku, an undertaker. He'll kill you."

Yosuga nictitated in horror. She watched as the figure grew larger in sight. The red-haired man was holding a gigantic V-shaped guitar around his shoulder.

"What're you waiting for? Go, Yosuga! Before he sees you." Nagi urged, signaling her to flee. She began to shudder.

"But…Nagi…"

"I'll be alright." The man winked at her and smiled. Yosuga nodded and swiftly hurried away.

It was two days later she learnt of Nagi's death. He perished in a lethal explosion, dragging Genkaku with him. The girl was besieged in affright. The only person left that she might trust was killed….It was down to her alone, again. Yosuga sobbed in her room. She could no longer pick up the courage to walk out. She heard it was a complete chaos outside. There was a commotion…and some awful conflicts had broken out between the undertakers and deadmen. Members of the Scar Chain were attempting a prison-break to unravel the hideous truth of Deadman Wonderland to the public. Yosuga would have helped out but she was too vulnerable and wimpy. She didn't want to die yet, for she hadn't even figured out what went wrong with Toto.

She locked herself in her cell for approximately a week. When the rampage finally ceased, she heard that Scar Chain had succeeded in their mission despite immense loss of their members. A few deadmen, somehow, managed to escape. The authority and public soon learnt of the existence of G-Ward and the inhuman conditions in Wonderland. Everything happened in a blink of an eye. Before Yosuga could grasp more information, she realized Tamaki committed suicide. All the deadmen were taken away by inspectors. Most of them, including her, who were previously framed, got released back to where they used to belong.

_But what's next?_

She was freed without Toto. What's the point of her reviving freedom without the one she loved beside her? She got transferred back to her foster home, where she kept herself constantly updated with news about Deadman Wonderland. It seemed the Wretched Egg hadn't been caught yet…and neither was Toto. She missed him. _So damn much._ She wouldn't expect him to love her as much as he had but at least, she prayed to see him one last time. If he was doomed, she would be the one to shot him full of holes. He would tear her apart then and they would rest in peace. _Eventually._

She rummaged ongoing activities among several deadmen. Then, she came to meet this boy called Ganta. She had heard of his stage name "Woodpecker" before but did not pay much attention to him. People rumored about his special branch of sin…something called Ganta Gun.

"We're going back to Deadman Wonderland to redeem our last sin." He told her. "We're going to kill the Wretched Egg. No, I'm going to finish her off."

"She?" Yosuga frowned. It was a _"She"_. The Wretched Egg was a girl? Really?

"She's my friend…" The balck-haired Woodpecker stuttered. "My best friend…We used to hang out together but all of sudden…she changed…she became someone I barely knew."

Yosuga froze. Why did this remind her so much of Toto? They had been so intimate before and then out of blues, he avoided her and was never seen again.

"So, if you're interested, do come to the port tomorrow. We'll head off at seven sharp."

Indeed, she accepted the invitation. It was not like she had any interest whatsoever in the Wretched Egg, though she was beginning to abominate her. It was because of her that Toto was gone. Yosuga knew she had to retrieve the real Toto somehow. She wanted the old Toto back.

Yosuga met the other deadmen for the first time before they set off for their deadly mission. She recognized some of them, having watched them fight in the Carnival Corpse. Yet, most of them were oblivious to her presence. It didn't surprise her though. She was basically a loner without Toto.

"I don't think we can defeat Toto with this mere number." She stated. The deadmen ogled her and scowled.

"Are you an acquaintance of Rinichirou Hagire?" An old man asked.

"That guy? I don't know him. Yosuga only knows Toto…maybe."

They departed from the pier, heading back to their Wonderland.

They told her somehow, the director, Hagire had taken over Toto's body and possessed him. Toto was no longer the guy she had been acquainted with. He was mentally charged by a sadistic mad scientist, the founder of Deadman Wonderland. Yosuga cringed when she heard that the old "Toto" did not exist anymore. She refrained from believing it. It just wasn't reasonable. There had to be some way to revive his original consciousness. At any cost, she had to do it.

It turned out Ganta was also opting for the same thing. He vowed to kill the Wretched Egg himself. The boy had said it sternly with so much determination, but when Yosuga saw his tears, she doubted if he would really make it through. The Wretched Egg was merely a teenage girl. What was even more unbelievable was Yosuga actually did meet her some time ago, back in G-Block. They didn't have any conversation, though. She was an albino girl called Shiro, her long white hair reaching down to her hips. She was always dressed in this weird, skin-tight attire that caught Yosuga's attention. Nonetheless, Yosuga didn't approach her. She just didn't deem it was a wise choice.

There was simply too much Yosuga wasn't aware of. She would be keen on learning how the Wretched Egg was born. They said it was Shiro's split personality resulted from some appalling experiments. Still, Yosuga had not the time to understand the monster's past. She had more significant things to do. **_She needed to find Toto._**

They grouped her with Ganta and a muscular deadman called Senji, which was totally fine with her. _As long as they got to meet Toto._ They strolled along the underground tunnel, seeking for the goose system, the assumed key to stop the Wretched Egg's activity. Everything went well until she began to find difficulty catching up with the pace. She had never expected the mission to be so challenging and wearisome. Her limbs were aching at each joint.

"Are you okay…er…?" Ganta asked while waiting for her.

"Yeah…Yosuga…I'm Mitsuzaki Yosuga." Yousga wheezed.

"Hurry up! I'm surprised you survived until now!" Senji howled, irritated. "We're going to leave you behind!"

"Yousga may not be strong physically, but she has great self-confidence,..maybe?" Yosuga stared at the young man exasperatedly, collapsing to the ground at the same time.

Well, he was practically right. Without Toto, she wouldn't have survived until then, considering how defenseless she was. There were plenty of occasions where she could have died but she didn't…_all because of Toto._ The thought of him stressed her out. She leaned her back against on the wall, gasping.

"You didn't have to force yourself into coming here…" Ganta said.

The girl looked at him in awe. "But…Yosuga is like you."

"Huh?"

"Because Yosuga might have been in love with Toto…" She confessed. "We were just like you and Shiro… but all of sudden…he changed…He's become someone I barely know. That's why Yosuga came back."

"So…you're trying to save Toto?"

"No." Yosuga shook her head and proclaimed. "Yosuga's going to kill him…"

"I see…"

"You're scared too, right?"

She could tell from Ganta's eyes that he was just as frightened as her. And she knew well the reason why. Even if he had declared several times he was going to kill the Wretched Egg, deep down, he was struggling in his mind. Yosuga couldn't read people's minds but the boy's emotions were far too easy to penetrate. It was just…she could never imagine there was actually someone like her.

_Caught between consciousness and affection. _

"People fear death because they don't understand it." She said. "We're afraid of strangers because we don't know them…._And not being able to understand the one you love is the worst fear of all_."

Ganta stared at her, his brows twitching and his hands shaking.

_She was right._

They both couldn't understand their lovers anymore because they had changed. They didn't want to kill them but the reality forced them to. They were left without any options. It's either _all or nothing_.

"You're going to kill her because you don't understand her, right?" Yosuga asked Ganta, but he didn't reply.

Instinctively, she got his answer. _No, he wasn't going to kill her._ Because he hesitated. His eyes were full of doubts. It was fine, though. He might not have any promise with Shiro. Yet, Yosuga was different. She was bounded to end Toto's life because it was an oath between them. _An oath ever so_ _unbreakable…indestructible…and irrational…._

"Never mind." Yosuga scoffed.

"No…I…"

"It's okay." She grinned, patting on Ganta's shoulders. "Yosuga understands you. Everything's gonna be alright."

_Well, she sincerely hoped so._


	8. Bleeding Faith

Yosuga sat against the wall and waited patiently while Ganta and Senji were working on the Chorus Block they found underground. They kept her upstairs, probably due to her scrawny look and inability to offer any assistance.

"H-Hey…how's it going?" She peeked in through the hole and inquired. "Is…that gonna take much lon-longer?"

"Just shut up!" Senji roared. "It's because of you that we are late, you weak girl!"

Startled by his criticism, Yosuga stumbled backwards and almost tripped. Annoyed, she pouted and made a grimace at the former policeman before returning to her resting spot.

Half an hour passed and she still couldn't catch sight of Ganta and Senji. She sighed and shut her eyes.

"Gosh…Yosuga's exhausted…" She grunted, starting to doze off. "When is she ever going to see Toto…again?"

And then, just when she thought she might take a quick nap, she heard someone stomping towards her. Instinctively, she pried her eyes and froze at what she saw.

_It was Toto._

She stood up and made herself noticeable to him. He trotted towards her leisurely. When he finally became aware of her presence, he squinted aghastly.

"You…" He muttered nonchalantly. "How cheeky…who's that?"

Yosuga panted and did not answer.

"Oh!" Toto clapped his hands as if he had suddenly remembered something. "You're the big sister of this boy- _Sakigami Toto_, right?"

Yosuga glared at him irately. She hated the idea of a nutty, psychotic scientist inhibiting her Toto's body, acting as though he had nothing to do with the original Toto.

"You! What did you do with Toto!" She screeched with sentiment and clenched her fists, ready to punch the hell out of the mad Hagire.

"Your height's different than before, though." Toto directly filtered her question and jabbered. "I remember you being much shorter than me~ Meh, 'aging' is an intense thing, you see. Well, I guess it's 'growth' in this case."

"Damn you." Yosuga cursed. "What the fuck did you do with him?!"

"Nothing much. Just did a minor experiment on him~ a bit of possessive formula I guess." The boy laughed frantically. "Oh, wait, he did mention your name before he died. Is that _'nee-chan'_? Or _'Yosuga'_? That made me wonder for a moment if you two are really in that brother-sister relationships~ Isn't incest a sort of taboo? Anyway, the brother you knew isn't here anymore~ haha. He's gone as dead."

"But he's still got his habit of clapping…" Yosuga pressed on.

"I didn't go as far as dealing with this body's mannerisms." The boy answered coldly.

"What do you mean…huh?" Yosuga gritted her teeth in rage.

"Who knows~" With one swing, an enormous palm of blood blasted towards Yosuga, dynamiting several blocks around her.

Not foreseeing the awful attack, the poor girl got tossed backwards and struck the wall hard. A sharp pain went through her limbs, causing her to groan in woe.

* * *

_**BOOM!**_

Yosuga woke up from the faint. She heard some explosions and rasping noise emanating from the underground. Horrified, she gathered all her strength and lifted up the rubble on her body.

"Oach!" She coughed and wheezed. With the agony spreading roaming her body, she crawled towards the pit and looked downwards.

"Hey…are you still alive?" She asked Senji, who was lying in the debris.

"No…" The man blinked with his hollow eyes. "Right now, I'm a bit…dying…"

Yosuga limped towards the injured man and helped drag him upstairs. He let out a frustrated moan as he clung himself to the wall. She examined his wounds, petrified to an almost unspeakable point.

"D-Did Toto do this to you…?" She whined, trying to stop the massive blood from squirting out of his gash. "What a serious injury…we've got to get you back on the ship."

"Do you have any cigarettes?" Senji asked. "Besides, we have to rescue that child together, right?"

"Eh?" Yosgua dropped her jaws, hardly capable of comprehending his utterances.

"Well…although I can't smoke."

"What?" She scratched her head in confusion.

"I can't become like…old man Domon…" The man continued rambling.

"Dom…who?" Yosuga raised her brows.

"You go ahead." Senji shoved her away gently. "I'll carry the box after I've rested awhile."

The girl looked at him disdainfully and nodded.

Slowly, Yosuga sneaked away. Her wounds were unexpectedly severe. She had to place one hand on the wall to keep her balance as she hobbled down the corridor. She couldn't believe this was actually happening to her. Her physical body was whacked…but her heart hurt even more. Toto…for the first time in her life…had attacked her. She realized the boy was not mentally "Toto" but still, seeing him lift his arms and strike her with his detrimental branch of sin crushed her heart. Tears escaped from her puffy eyes. _No._ She reminded herself. _She couldn't give up just yet._ She had her own pride. She had got to prove herself right somehow, for she really had faith that Toto's real soul was buried deep within that body of his.

"These are severe injuries, child." At some point, Yosuga bumped into an old man. She perked up, relieved to recognize him as one of the team members. "What happened?" He asked. Yosuga remained speechless. She hadn't got the time to explain everything. She needed to carry on with her mission. _Her own mission._

The old deadman accompanied her to the infirmary, where a woman, whom she reckoned as the temporary nurse, bandaged her wounds and motioned her to rest.

She lay back on the bed, gasping.

"Why…have things turned out this way…" She began to weep. Staring at the ceiling, she reminisced the first time she was involved in the Carnival Corpse. After her battle, she woke up in the exact same infirmary, except that time, Toto was beside her. She still remembered the warm feeling when he kissed away her tears and vowed to find her a reason to live...And then, the second time she woke up in the same place, after she got assaulted by two deadmen and saved by Nagi. Toto, again, stayed beside her when she opened her eyes.

_Yet, this time, she was alone. Alone on her own. Without Toto. _

"Toto…" She sniveled. The pain was intolerable. It was killing her. Her heart was dying and she doubted if she had the bravery to hold on any longer.

"No…I have to rescue Toto…" She lectured herself. "It's still too early to give up…Toto wouldn't want Yosuga to give up easily…would he?"

Then, the scene of Toto caressing her swarm her head. It was exactly the day before he went off to fight with the Wretched Egg…as well as the last time they spent their intimacy with each other. She missed that enchanting sensation of him kissing her tenderly, and his caution of not harming her accidentally when they experienced their first time. Everything couldn't be just a hallucination. _No, they were as real as could be._ The promise he held for her wasn't simply a delusion but his profound declaration of love. The time he decided to make love with her proved his words- _He had said he loved her…both as his nee-chan and as his woman._ He couldn't have forgotten that, could he? Not even when his body was taken over by an intruder…Shouldn't their love be strong enough to bring him back?

Yosuga sat up holding the plastic gun in her hands. Among all the gifts Toto had given her, she treasured this the most. It was the first present from Toto, the very first symbol of their beautiful _love_. If he had granted her the ultimate reason to live, she had every responsibility to return his favor.

_"Love is enduring, nee-chan…" He had claimed. "And it's wonderful."_

If what Hagire said was true about Toto calling out her name right before he disappeared, it became more obvious he had loved her right till the end. She, indisputably, had to return his love.

Seizing the gun, Yosuga grinned. "BANG! Just like that…Yosuga will shoot Toto in the head and Toto will tear her into pieces…We shall die together, Toto…Yosuga's coming for ya."

She leapt out of bed and grabbed every first-aid materials she could find. Slamming the door shut behind her, she heard a loud thundery sound. She dashed to the site where the noise stemmed from, only to witness the most unpredictable, horrific scene.

The entire construction crumbled down right before her eyes. Climbing out onto the roof were Ganta and Senji, both in critical casualties.

_But…where was Toto?_

Without hesitation, she darted into the ruins.

"Oh my gosh…" She puffed, not willing to believe her eyes. Toto…her Toto, was lying in pools of blood. Having forfeited his right limbs, he moaned quietly.

"Toto…" Yosuga pulled out her gun and sauntered towards his dying body. "You're not dead yet. Do you know why?" She pointed the gun at him and whispered to herself. "Maybe…it's because Yosuga hasn't made Toto into a bullet pincushion yet?"

* * *

"Toto…please…hang in there…" Yosuga broke into tears as she attempted to lift Toto's body but failed. She snatched his arms and dragged him across the corridor.

She placed him on a gigantic rock and with everything she got, rinsed and sterilized his wounds before bandaging them. She had no idea why she was saving him, even when she knew clearly it wasn't _"Toto"_ that was inside his body.

The boy eventually woke up and groaned.

"Oh…" He took a glimpse of his wrenched arms. "What is it with you?"

Yosuga ignored him and smiled. "Yosuga has always been Toto's 'nee-chan'…right?"

"What the hell…" Toto scowled. "I told you I'm not your stupid damn brother!"

"It doesn't matter." Yosuga reiterated, tears trickling down her cheeks.

Toto pouted and turned away from her. "If you really do want to help me, now carry me to my laboratory."

"Eh?"

"NOW!" The boy ordered. Yosuga did as told.

"Damn it." Toto grumbled as she helped him climb onto the laboratory bed.

"Go activate that machine, bitch." He commanded, pointing to the automatic machine standing next to the bed. Yosuga had never touched any electrical operators before, let alone how to switch them on.

"Fuck, are you that stupid? It's that red switch." Toto rolled his eyes. "Can't imagine what this boy sees in you, idiot. Stick the number 7 needle, 3.5 cm above my ear, clear? There's no need for anesthetic!."

"Eh…no anesthetic? But…but that's…"

"I have to reactivate my nerves and I can't do the surgery myself!" The boy hissed. "If you want to help me, do as I say."

"It's not that I want to help…" Yosuga admitted bluntly. "I'm merely keeping 'Toto' alive until I shoot him full of holes."

"Yea, yea, whatever. I have zero interest in your romance." The boy sneered.

Yosuga followed his instructions and stuck a needle in his ear with her shaky hands. Seeing her indecisive, feeble expression, Toto snickered. "Relax, onee-chan. Even if you're all messed up, you can at least turn on the current, right?"

She quivered as she heard him address her as "onee-chan", with Toto's voice.

Yosuga walked back to the machine and clicked the red bottom.

Immediately, Toto growled at the pain when the current went through his nerves.

"Geez…" Yosuga shook her head apprehensively, rushing towards the suffering boy.

"Now, don't fucking touch me!" He howled, smacking her hands away, which caused her to wail even more.

"Y-You're…You're bleeding.."

"Now get me the fucking screwdriver." He demanded.

"Y-Yes…" She hastily returned with a screwdriver and some mechanical equipment he requested. She watched in horror as the boy performed surgery to his own rotting flesh.

Tears wouldn't stop now. She wept silently, with her hands covered in his blood.

"I won't die…" He stuttered, his evil eyes widening. "I'll definitely…live…for her sake!"

Yosuga didn't know how long the madness went on. She lost count of time after Toto's surgery. She basically blacked out in one corner, having gone through so much terror and misery.

In her dream, she saw Toto smiling and spreading out his arms at her. She flinched a little, not certain if it was the real "Toto" that was inviting her for an embrace. Nonetheless, he took her into his arms and patted on her back.

_"__It's going to end soon, nee-chan." He breathed into her ears._

_"__W-What is?" She asked, but before she knew it, he had vanished from sight._

She felt a hand clutching her pigtail and yanking her up. Abruptly, she opened her eyes.

"There there, aren't you supposed to help me get back to the goose system?"

She frowned at the boy standing above her, who had fixed his mutilated right leg on a wooden stick.

"Y-Yes…" She replied and stood up.

Together, they left the laboratory and headed for the Mother Goose System.


	9. The Final Battle

"What…what're you going to do with the Mother Goose system?" Yosuga asked.

"You're nosier than I thought." Toto smirked. "I'm going to release the Wretched Egg. I'm going to love her and kill her over and over again."

Sckened by his echoing laughs, Yosuga hushed and stared at the ground.

"W-Why must you do this in Toto's body…" She thought to herself. It was simply repulsive. She couldn't possibly picture the scene of Hagire, inside Toto's body, tormenting the Wretched Egg endlessly.

They arrived at the Mother Goose System, only to find that Ganta had already unlocked it. Toto chuckled evilly and with one blast, he cracked open the door.

The other deadmen turned around reflexively, astounded.

"So that's the Wretched Egg's ability control system, eh?" He mocked. "Thanks for opening it up for me! Goodness, you wouldn't believe the effort I put in trying to release this switch…all in vain!"

"Hagire…Rinichirou!" The deadmen yelled and the next thing Yosuga knew, everyone was charging at Toto. A gross bloody battle flared in the room. As two men attempted to strike Toto, Yosuga flexibly let out her Shielding Shadow, deflecting all the attacks.

"What?!" Someone exclaimed, shocked by Yosuga's sudden defense.

"I'm sorry." Yosgua apologized, holding on tight to her branch of sin that stretched out like a screen. "I can't let you kill Toto…If all she can do is to protect, then…Toto is the only one that Yosuga will protect!"

"Ha, do as you like, idiot." Toto snorted.

The fight proceeded. Yosuga kept blocking all the attacks that came in their way. It didn't take her long to realize Hagire had gone insane. He was squealing and laughing hysterically. He was also pushing Toto's body to limits.

"No…if this hemorrhage goes on..." Yosuga sobbed, taking a glimpse of Toto. Torrents of blood squirted out of his wounds uncontrollably. "Toto's probably going to die…"

"No, Toto!" She yelped but nobody heard her.

"Please!" She wailed. The attackers completely outnumbered Toto and her.

"Oh…my…." Yosuga almost vomited at the sight. Toto…her Toto…was kneeling down on the ground. His entire body was nothing more than just skin and bone. His blood was spattering everything. He was merely a living skeleton.

"Valueless….Powerless….Pointless…Ueseless…Worthless…Emotionless…Purposeless!" He cursed at his enemies.

"YOU ARE ALL MEANINGLESS!" A massive stream of blood expelled from his mouth, aiming at his persistent opponents. Yet, it was insufficient to slaughter them. Everyone got back onto their feet in a fleeting moment.

"I don't know about meaning…" Someone said. "But we definitely understand irrationality. We know our own sins. However, it's precisely because we are weak…it's precisely because we're powerless…"

Then, almost in unison, they cried. "That we've been fighting up until now!"

With one swing, everyone fired their branch of sins at Toto.

"No!" Yosuga screamed, opening her shield but it was sliced open by a worm eater.

She staggered backwards and collapsed to the ground. She was struck by both daze and nausea. With one last blow, she saw Toto being flung into the air. Several dagger-like branch of sins impaled him before he landed onto an electric field. His skin detached from his remaining flesh, revealing his muscles and bones as he burned in fire. Some of his teeth was punched out of his mouth. His eyes bulged and blood seeped through his lips.

"No…" Yosuga climbed over the rubble and blubbered. "Please…just stop it…"

She couldn't bear to see any more of it. Her Toto was dying. His body was deteriorating at rapid speed.

She crawled over to his side and clung to him.

"Give Toto back to me…" She whimpered, only to be hit by Toto's branch of sin.

"You're in my way." He said callously.

Yosuga watched as Toto's blood penetrated her forehead, coming out from behind her head.

Her blood splashed against her face as she stared blankly at her lover's face.

She fell backwards, her light body succumbing to the gravity.

Her plastic toy gun, something she valued more than her life, slipped out from her pocket and dropped into the ruins.

She wanted to grasp it but she had long lost her consciousness.

She hadn't succeeded though….She hadn't revived the original Toto…

And yet, she was glad to some extent. At least, he fulfilled his promise. He was the one who killed her at last.

In her last moment of life, Yosuga looked up at the azure sky and smiled once more. A final drop of tears trickled down her rosy cheeks, mixed with both mourning and contentment.

She shut her eyes calmly and lay back in peace…

_"__I told you it was going to end soon, nee-chan."_


	10. Epilogue

Toto is not sure where he is now. His head is full of blanks.

_Whiteness._

_Whiteness everywhere._

A sudden stream of consciousness strikes him as he remembers something. It is an angelic face, a face so stunning that melts his heart. His eyes begin to brim with tears.

Where is he now? Why is nobody around? Why is he in a place full of whiteness?

_Did he die?_

_Well, he did._

* * *

Toto remembered being tricked by Hagire…_that bastard_. He promised him a chance to fight the Wretched Egg and he believed him so foolishly. It was actually a trap. Hagire craved for his body, or more precisely, his branch of sin. He never planned to let Toto battle face-to-face with the Wretched Egg. He just wanted to possess and implant his own memories into the poor boy's body.

_How?_ Toto wondered. _How was he naive enough to believe he finally got the opportunity to confront the Wretched Egg? Why was he so brainless that he decided to leave behind the girl he loved just to embrace his doom?_

Right before he got taken over by the sadistic scientist, he was locked up in a gigantic experimental tube. He admitted he was scared. Fear never hit him that much before but the thought of dying actually set him off. No, he didn't want to die by Hagire's hands. He had an oath to fulfill. He had to be killed by his onee-chan, not this sickening psychotic scientist.

He glared at the old man furiously with his eyes full of wrath and disgust. Hagire seemed to notice his menacing glance, for he said. "What's with those eyes?"

Toto gulped. He kept staring at the wrinkled elderly, his heart racing. It shouldn't be like this. He wanted to go back to see his nee-chan and take her into his arms. It was where he belonged.

"I've already explained what I'm going to do now, right?" Hagire said. "I give praise to you, who possessed strength sufficient to win the Carnival Corpse and your body will be mine."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Toto screeched. "I don't understand what you mean. Stop messing around. Aren't I going to fight the Wretched Egg? You promised!"

"Exactly." The old man smirked. "I, who will have taken the place of you, that is. This body I'm using right now is quite worn out. It used to belong to someone else, of course. And now, I shall take over your body. You, Toto, are going to die."

Toto gasped, his eyes widening in terror. _What? He was going to die?_ No! It couldn't be. She was still waiting for him to return with victory. He had to go back to her and boast about how he defeated the Wretched Egg.

"So please make those fucking fearful, desperate, regretful, flattering eyes of yours disappear." Hagire snarled. "In the past, there have always been experimental subjects with eyes like yours and they totally pissed me off. What is a puppet on the brink of death looking forward to? What are you looking at? Those fucking damn eyes. Put them away! "

"Shut up!" Toto shrieked. "I'm not going to die. I won't die! I won't! There's someone important to me! There's someone-"

"Silence!" Hagire howled and hit the tube with his cane.

"There's someone I love waiting for me!"

Toto could feel his body burning as Chan and En pressed the switch. It wasn't happening, he convinced himself. But the fact lay flat in front of his eyes. He was dying. _Vanishing_. His soul was being torn into pieces. He screamed at the top of his lungs for her name. Her face emerged in his head. _The smile that she had only shown to him and only him. Those adorable pigtails that only he would pull. Those tender pink lips that only he would kiss. This couldn't be…Why? Why?_

Everything went black. He felt himself sinking into an abyss. It was so dark that it frightened him.

"Onee-chan…" He sobbed. "Yosuga…"

_Why had things end up this way? She would be enraged then, when she knew he had broken his promise._

They had vowed to live and die for each other. And yet, he was killed by someone else. He was abandoning her alone in this world.

_Would she come after him?_

He hoped so.

As time rolled on, he crouched in the darkness. He lost count of how much time had passed since he was trapped in this endless pit. He couldn't move. He couldn't see. He couldn't speak. His brain was flooded with flashbacks of memories. The only thing he could do was to recall the days they spent together. _The first time he rescued her. The first time she won in the Carnival Corpse. The first time he dated her. And the first time he made love with her._

Sometimes, he heard her voice but it drifted away quickly. It was as though he was brought to hope and then condemned back to despair in a flash.

_He waited... _

_Waited…_

_And waited..._

_It took him more than eternity to finally flee from this madness._

One day, something changed. He saw beams of lights. He wiggled his body and stretched out his arms.

_Hagire was gone. _

_His soul had left Toto's body…._

_Only….._

When Toto pried open his eyes, a traumatizing realization hit him.

_He...was dying._

_Damn it…_

Whatever happened to his body was not a pretty scene. It was hanging down one of those soaked rocks. He had lost two of his right limbs and the agony he was suffering was excruciating.

Still, he spotted her face,. Her corpse was lying a few meters away from his. And then…there was the gun he gave her.._.their promise…_

Hagire had killed her. He had used _his body_ to kill her.

_How ironic yet relieving…_

In his last moment of life, Toto muttered in his final breath.

_"__I…have an onee-chan…and she's my reason for living…"_

* * *

Toto woke up again in somewhere else. It is exactly the place he is standing right now. He knows he's died but where is he? _In heaven or in hell?_ It doesn't matter anyway.

_If only…_

_If only he could see her…again…_

A figure slowly comes into sight. It's a figure ever so familiar. Bit by bit…it looms towards the heart-broken boy.

He feels hot tears rushing out of his eyes.

_Yes, it can't be wrong._

He looks down at his own body. The scars and wounds have all disappeared. This is his soul floating about in the air and he sees her. _He sees her..._

_"__Oh god, she's so striking." _He says in his own mind.

Her body glistens beautifully in the white. Her eyes sparkle like diamonds. Her presence is so stunning that the illumination almost blinds him. Toto stands there, swallowing every possible word that he can think of. He can hardly believe his own eyes. The person he has been yearning for this long is standing right in front of him. He can just snatch her hands and cuddle her for the rest of his life.

"T-Toto?" Yosuga's calls out with her soft, little voice. She tilts her head and strides towards the boy.

They are facing each other. The moment they lock eyes with each other, they can hear their heart beat. It's as though they're still alive.

_It's over. Finally over._

"Yes." He pulls her to his side and embraces her. Both of them are crying and smiling at the same time.

"Thank goodness, Toto's back. You told Yosuga you would be back in one day but you were gone for months." Yosuga whimpers.

"I'm sorry…nee-chan." Toto stammers. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Yosuga smiles and slips the gun into his hands. "Say, Yosuga will always be Toto's nee-chan, right?" She asks, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Toto nods. "Of course."

"And now nothing unpleasant will ever come in our way."

"Nothing unpleasant will ever come in our way." Toto repeats and grins. "I love you, nee-chan. I love you very much."

"Yosuga loves Toto, too." The girl chuckles. "Very much."

The girl stands on her toes as he bends over to kiss her. A twirl of light encloses them. It glints with incredible glamour.

* * *

_At last, the 'sister' has found the 'brother'._

_The boy and the girl don't have to suffer anymore._

_There is neither torture nor pain, in this heaven they shall be._

_Reunited are their souls and shall they live together for eternity._

_Once upon a time, a shadow was trapped inside a labyrinth. A lost Rosy Finch was found by a lonely Mockingbird._

_Love is their curse. Death is their promise. He and she, together, are one._


End file.
